The Misadventures of B and J
by amateur-hourd
Summary: Chapter Nine: (Part III) This is her revenge. Very small, sad revenge but it's something.
1. Manhood

Hey! I've missed writing about Beca and Jesse together, so I think I'm gonna start a collection of oneshots here. Hope it turned out well!

* * *

_Dear Rebeca Swanson, In an effort to reinstate my manhood, I will be going on that trip to Vegas with the guys, even though you told me not to. I am a grown man and I can do whatever I want…so there. _

_p.s. Please don't kill me (my lovely, beautiful and perfect wife)._

_..._

She's tapping her foot on the marble wood floor, waiting on top of the staircase of their two-story home, leaning her hands on the railing. Beca narrows her eyes as she hears the sound of a car engine. A car door slams and then there's a screeching of tires. She holds in a chuckle because Donald's hightailed it out of there as if she's about to barge outside and strangle both of them.

No, her intention is to strangle her husband. Donald has his own wife to fear.

Beca smirks as the front door opens slowly and Jesse pokes his head in, tentatively looking from side to side. He steps inside, bringing his duffle bag in with him. He winces as he accidentally shuts the door louder than he means to. Meanwhile, Beca molds her face into an expressionless mask.

This façade gets significantly harder to keep as Jesse looks up and jumps about three feet in the air when he sees her. "Beca!" He shouts in surprise.

She raises an eyebrow as his hand nervously flutters in a wave hello, almost knocking the vase off the table to his right. She places her elbow on the railing, propping her chin up on her palm. "Hello, love," she coos with a deadly look in her eyes. Beca can't help but feel proud of herself when she sees Jesse gulp and pale.

This is going to be fun.

"How was your trip?" She asks sweetly. He's avoiding her gaze but she's not going to make this easy for him so she starts making her way down the stairs. Jesse stutters and answers her with an unconvincing, "Eh."

By the time she reaches the bottom of the staircase, he's nervously twitching his leg and looking around frantically for a way out. "Did you have fun?" She asks again.

She's only a few feet away now and Jesse looks surprised, just realizing she's backed him into the front door. She sees him take a deep breath and turn to look at her unsurely, measuring her with his gaze, trying to figure out how angry she is. She squints at him as he gets a gleam in his eye.

"Not really. I missed you," he replies, smiling gently at her, reaching out to uncross her arms and pull her into him.

Beca resists though, because there's no way he's getting out of this easily. Not again.

"I highly doubt that. You sounded like you were having a lot of fun when you drunk dialed me yesterday," she smirks as she watches his face fall.

"Oh?" Jesse asks nervously. "What did I say exactly?"

Beca suppresses a grin as she remembers his call. He had raved on and on about how he'd immediately left the strip club Bumper had taken them to, because 'he has a wife who he adores and wholeheartedly loves'. He said Donald had gone back with him to the hotel too because he had Lilly, but Jesse doubted that 'Donald's love could equal his own' for Beca. And she had enjoyed his drunken ramblings, having wanted to yell at him as soon as she'd picked up, but he always knows what to say, even while half-conscious.

Jesse must have noticed the change in her expression because he relaxes and tries to pull her into him again. She barely budges (even though she's tiny, she's strong, thank you very much) and puts on her best glare. Once he sees she's unyielding, he decides to step into her own personal space instead.

"I shouldn't have gone," Jesse breathes into her ear, smirking as he hears her breath hitch. He rubs his thumb on her arm and presses a kiss against her temple, mumbling out an apology.

_Stay strong, Beca. _She extracts herself from his arms and shakes her head at him. "No, you shouldn't have. You missed Chloe's dinner party. All of you did."

"Is she angry?"

Beca huffs, "Chloe's never angry. But she should be. And you should all be ashamed of yourselves because she'd been planning it for weeks and instead, you guys decided to go on a whirlwind trip to Vegas." Chloe really hadn't minded; saying that she had expected it because Brandon was getting married soon and guys were unpredictable that way. She'd been just as happy to celebrate her promotion with her girls. But Beca had decided to be angry for her. Jesse had told her about the trip last week and even though she'd told him not to go, because it'd just be plain rude, he went anyway. And yes, she's a bit pissed. Aren't husbands supposed to bend to their wife's every whim?

And his note. "Reinstate his manhood"? Really?

"But she's not angry, so I don't see what the problem is," he says warily, eying her 'hands on hips' stance and wondering how long it'd take him to get back in her good graces.

"_I'm _angry," she snaps. "I come back from work and see a note on the kitchen counter that tells me my husband won't be home for three days. And one more thing," she takes two steps forward and slaps his arm, ignoring his exaggerated wince. "You know better than to call me 'Rebeca'."

"Technically, I wrote it down," he jokes, but sobers up once he sees her stony expression.

Beca sniffs, "I'm glad you think this is funny. I bet you'll find it even funnier on the couch tonight."

Jesse gapes at her, "You can't be serious."

"Dixy-chick serious," she states firmly, inwardly scowling at how Aubrey planted that term in her vocabulary.

"But- but Donald made me," he whines.

Beca only raises an eyebrow at him. "And Lilly will also be dealing with him tonight. You brought this upon yourself."

Jesse stares at her for a minute before narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms. "You're bluffing. You can't sleep well without me," he says smugly as he steps forward and traces the dark circles under her eyes.

Damn him. So she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in three days, but judging by the circles under his own eyes, he hadn't either. So she says nothing and challenges him with her stare, tilting her head up and keeping her nose in the air. They assess each other with their gazes, wondering how to make the situation lean back in their favor. She tries to ignore the way his 'Bambi eyes' are looking at her, because that's how he got out of trouble last time. She will not back down.

But he plays dirty. Jesse steps forward once more to close the distance between them, leaning forward and brushing his nose against hers and cradling her cheek. "Beca," he murmurs and she gulps. "I missed you so much. Please don't make me sleep without you tonight." She closes her eyes as his lips softly come into contact with hers, but then she realizes what he's doing and they pop open.

She quickly pulls back, pointing her index finger at him and gaping as if he's the reason for world hunger. "You can't do that!" She glares, ignoring his look of pure amusement. "I won't fall for this again!"

Beca turns and stomps over to the living room, hearing his footsteps trail behind her, picking up the pillow and blanket on the couch, and throwing them at his head. "Goodnight," she grits out through clenched teeth.

Jesse looks down at the blanket, now on the floor, and then back to the couch. His eyes dart back and forth, as if his brain doesn't get the concept of actually having to sleep on something other than a bed. Once it clicks, he turns to look helplessly at Beca, only to realize she's not there.

He runs back into the main hall, seeing her halfway up the stairs already. "Beca!"

She sighs and turns her head to the side to look at him. "What?"

"The couch isn't comfy," he blurts out. "I'm pretty sure it's a lump of coals." He points to the living room like a mad man, trying to come up with more reasons to sleep with his wife. "And that room. It's awful. It has windows and I'm…afraid. _Anyone _could see me, Beca!" Actually the windows face the back yard so he doubts that'll be the case – he can tell Beca knows this too because she's giving him a look that screams 'weirdo' – but it's plausible, right?

"Then sleep in the guest bedroom," she says dryly. "Goodnight, weirdo."

He stays gaping at the staircase, long after she's shut the door to their bedroom, because this has never happened to him before. Jesse Swanson has never had to 'sleep on the couch'. He likes to think of himself as the 'super husband' because all of his friends have been punished this way, but not him. Not until now. He pouts as he drags his feet over to the living room to pick up the blanket and pillow on the floor, and then trudges on to the guest bedroom. He's not such a 'super husband' anymore.

…

She's tossing and turning, burying herself under the covers and throwing them back off, trying to inhale as much of his scent from his pillow as she can. But the freaking thing's three days old and it doesn't bring the same comfort it used to. She curses as she stares up at the ceiling. She needs a new, Jesse-scented pillow.

She makes her way down the stairs slowly and pads across the hall, wincing as her feet touch the cold floor. Beca tiptoes all the way to the guest bedroom, finally reaching the door and turning the knob slowly. She peeks in and sees Jesse's dark form on the bed; he's sleeping on his stomach and snoring lightly. Beca quietly walks into the room, heading for the bed and muffling a curse as she stubs her big toe against the desk chair.

Once she reaches his side, she runs her fingers lightly over one of his shoulders and brushes his bangs back. She inwardly curses as she reminds herself that she's not supposed to be giving her husband any kind of attention. She's supposed to be angry at him.

Beca's hand trails over to his pillow, trying to gently pull it out from underneath him. She doesn't even notice the light snoring has stopped until his hand's wrapped around her wrist and she gives a loud squeak as she's pulled onto the bed.

Her back's against his chest and Jesse takes advantage of her momentary shock to throw a leg over her own and wrap his arm around her waist. He buries his nose in her hair as she grumbles. "Couldn't sleep?" He asks groggily.

"No," Beca snaps. "I just…left something of mine here."

"My pillow?" he chuckles. He feels her relax into his embrace and nod. "Why don't you just take me instead?" He can tell she's rolling her eyes at his attempt at flirting. Yeah, it isn't so great.

Beca snuggles into him anyway and starts subconsciously playing with his fingers, lulling him to sleep. She always does that; another reason he couldn't fall asleep in Vegas.

"I am sorry," he whispers. "I shouldn't have left without telling you. I should've stayed and argued until you got so annoyed, you threw me out yourself." He grins as he feels her pinch his arm.

"It's okay. I wasn't _really _angry with you," she frowns. "I mean, I was, a bit. But not enough to make you sleep on the couch. But then Aubrey started saying that I always gave in too easily and how I should let you know who's boss," Beca scoffs. "I wanted to prove her wrong."

Jesse chuckles, "Funny. Bumper convinced me to go on the trip because he said I always did what you told me to and that I had to regain my manliness." He smiles as she turns to face him.

"You don't do what I tell you to," she snorts. "Or else we wouldn't have the problem of me getting angry and then forgiving you too easily. You gotta stop doing that, by the way. It's not fair." She glares slightly at the innocent look on his face. Beca arches an eyebrow at him as she pokes him on the nose and speaks sternly, "Yeah, you know what you do. You're ruining my reputation."

"Sorry," he says, though he doesn't look the least bit of it. Jesse scoots forward (as if there's any way for him to get any closer) and pecks her lips. "Can we go to bed now?" He asks hopefully.

Beca nods and gets up off the bed as she pulls on his hand. Jesse stands up to follow her upstairs.

"We shouldn't listen to everyone else. They're just jealous," he mumbles by the time they're both clinging to each other under the covers of their own bed. Beca hums in agreement and buries her face against his neck, mumbling a small "Goodnight, nerd".

"Next time I go on a trip, I'm taking you with me," Jesse murmurs as he listens to her soft breathing. He smiles against her cheek and his eyes flutter shut.

* * *

_Okay...review? Please? Unless you want me to go crawl into a very scary, dark hole._


	2. A Thousand Suns

_This one's a bit shorter, but still cute. Hopefully._

* * *

"Stop fussing."

"Ow! I can't! It hurts!"

Beca sits back onto the counter and sighs, "Well, what kind of a dummy forgets to put on sunblock?"

"The dummy you're marrying," Jesse mutters, leaning his head on the bathroom mirror.

She taps him on the shoulder to get him to turn around again, rubbing some aloe on his sunburnt shoulders and the red patches on his chest. "At least most of it is on your back, though that's the worst place to get burnt."

He grunts, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

Beca frowns at him. "No need to be so sarcastic." Jesse gives her an apologetic grimace and she leans over to kiss his head. "I should have texted to remind you or something. Or placed multi-colored post-its in your bag; anything, really. I know how many brain cells die as soon as you come within walking distance of Bumper and Uni."

He chuckles, "We played basket all day. And barely went into the pool. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's nursing a sunburn right now. Actually, now that I think about it, Benji was looking rather red, too." Jesse winces as he wonders how his best friend will get through the day; especially since he didn't have his own personal nurse.

"You should have told him to come over," Beca scolds.

"But then I wouldn't have you all to myself," he grins cheekily.

She curses the stupid flush that appears on her face and slaps him lightly on the shoulder to make his smirk disappear. Beca only feels slightly guilty when he winces in pain. "Sorry," she says sweetly.

"I would make you really sorry," he waggles his eyebrows at her, but then jumps as he leans too far back into the counter. "If it didn't hurt to move," he scowls.

Beca hides her chuckles into her hand, which smells strongly of Aloe Vera, and shakes her head at him. "At least the cold shower helped."

Jesse groans, "Are you kidding? We took a shower together without having sex. None. It was the worst shower I'd ever gotten."

"Well, you're going to have to deal. Because I'd rather not fool around with you yelling out 'ow' every five seconds." She leans forward carefully, making sure not to put any pressure on his chest and pecks him on the lips, resisting the urge to nip at them.

Jesse follows as she pulls back, not wanting to disconnect their mouths. "I wish my lips weren't burnt too, or else I'd be taking this much farther," he mumbles against her mouth. Beca smiles sympathetically in agreement and grabs his hand to take him to bed. It's definitely not going to be a comfortable night for him.

* * *

"They look like tomatoes!" Chloe bursts out laughing, choking halfway through on her coffee.

Aubrey smirks and primly sips from her tea cup. "Jonathan wanted to try and 'do it' yesterday night," she says, ignoring Chloe's 'why don't you just call him Unicycle; speaking of, why don't you just call it sex?', "Even though only two days have passed by. It did not work out. His whining and complaining didn't exactly 'turn me on', you know?"

Beca smiles into her coffee mug, because she had a similar incident with Jesse this morning. He had laid in bed like a corpse, with his arms out to the side and asking her not to put on too much pressure on his hips. He had convinced himself that if he didn't move at all during their um…activities…then he wouldn't hurt. Her nerd had underestimated the importance in his own participation however, because she couldn't exactly do all the work herself now, could she? She had burst into a fit of snorts and laughs, saying that the image of her looking like she was about to 'violate' him did not turn her on in the least, ignoring his put-off pout, and climbing off of him to get ready and go meet the girls for breakfast.

"I think it's hot. I've always wanted to have my sexy times with an overgrown tomato," Fat Amy grins. "And my big man said it hurt _so good_-" she's cut off by a chorus of 'Amy's!' and disgusted expressions.

Jessica grimaces and shakes her head. "That's a mental image of Bumper I did _not _need to see." Amy shrugs and smiles into her cup, frightening Jessica and prompting her to move down a seat.

Lilly grins and starts muttering about how she had cracked up when she saw Donald because she'd never expected him to be 'darker than his Indian brown' and 'now he's purple toast'; whatever that means.

"Well, I don't know how you guys are playing abstinence so well," Stacie says, gesturing to Beca and Aubrey. "No sunburn would stop me from getting it on with my man. Hell, I've even done period sex-" And she is also promptly cut off.

"Why do I even agree to meet up with you guys?" Beca says, reaching for a bagel. "We're at a fancy little coffee place and we still end up talking about nasty things."

Aubrey sniffs, "It's Stacie and Amy's fault. I knew I should've kept my training whistle; they were always on their best behavior with that thing." She gasps indignantly as she's shoved onto the side by Stacie. "Well, it's true," she huffs as she sits back up and gingerly dabs her mouth with her napkin, giving Stacie the side-eye.

"Has anyone seen Benji?" Beca asks worriedly. "Because I haven't and I've no clue how he's getting on with the whole sunburn thing."

Jessica nods. "No worries; I went over to check on him yesterday. He has the least worst of the brunt," she looks up to see the rest of them waggling their eyebrows at her. "Not like that, sheesh! I just wanted to make sure he was okay." She tries to ignore Fat Amy, who's turned to the side and making thrusting motions at her.

"It's almost noon, guys. I have to get back to my man-child. I'll see you later," Beca says as she pushes her chair back and grabs her purse.

"Remember, don't knock it till you try it," says Stacie as she winks at her, purposefully making her flush. "By the way, whose turn is it to pay?"

By the time she walks out of the restaurant, she has a good view of the scene through the window. Stacie and Amy are inevitably fighting again and well, as she sees Aubrey rubbing her temples and the waiters watching on with a scandalized look on their face, she can tell this is going to be another one of the many restaurants they're already banned from.

* * *

Beca opens the door to their apartment, expecting to see Jesse lounging on the couch, twisting and turning to try and get comfortable. He's not. She frowns and tries to listen for any sign of life, smiling when she hears the shower running from their bedroom.

She slips off her shoes once she reaches the bathroom, lifting her shirt up over her head and shimmying out of her jeans. She does not expect the reaction she gets when she opens the shower door, however.

Jesse gives a less than manly shriek, trying to cover as much of his nudity as he can. She bursts out laughing at the sight of her human sized tomato, smirking at his sheepish smile when he realizes it's her.

"Missed me, huh?" Jesse states smugly. He grabs her hand and pulls her under the spray of water, laughing as she hisses at the cold temperature. "Why are you still wearing underwear?" He frowns.

Beca snorts as she reaches for the shampoo. "Because, weirdo. We're not going to do anything," she replies, ignoring his pout. "You're in pain and it'll still be a couple of days before we won't have to cover you in Aloe Vera from head to toe." She leans up on her tiptoes and starts washing his head, huffing when he still has to lean down for her to do it properly.

Jesse rests his forehead on her shoulder, humming softly as her hands knead his head. He brushes back the wet curls from her neck and places kisses there. He makes his way up until he reaches the spot behind her ear; the one that usually makes her take off her clothes for him, regardless of where they are. "Stop distracting me," she whispers.

"Sorry," he mumbles against her skin. "It's just that…_ My love for you burns with the intensity of a thousand suns_," he says in a deep voice. He chuckles when he feels her shoulders start shaking, trying to contain her laughter.

"Please shut up," she smiles. "You're such an idiot."

Jesse leans back to look at her and grins, "Get it? _Burns…thousand suns…_get it? 'Cause I'm sunburnt, Beca!" She shakes her head and wonders how on earth this dork convinced her to say yes to his proposal. Oh...wait…he had asked her in bed and had been distracting enough to make her yell out the craziest things. That's right. Yeah, she regrets nothing.

And as she looks up at Jesse adoringly (though she will deny this later), with his still red skin and hair standing up on ends because of the shampoo, she thinks she really can't wait for him to get past this sunbaked thing.

Maybe she doesn't have to.

"Wash out your hair, nerd. We're going to bed and I'm gonna have fun violating you."

He widens his eyes and nods excitedly. "Yes, please."

* * *

_Was it weird? I don't know where this came from. Maybe it's cause I'm kinda sunburnt right now, who knows?_


	3. The Date

_It's been too long! You have no idea how happy I am to have written at least one chapter today. Blame college life; my second week into the semester and exams already. Blah. Anyway, I will try to update my stories as soon as possible. Don't give up on me!_

_Don't you foget about me (sorry, couldn't resist). _

* * *

He's an idiot.

He's known it since he found her outside, sitting glumly on their front porch. It was reinforced as soon as she'd looked up at the sound of his footsteps, seethed at the sight of his basketball shorts, and proceeded to take off her black shoe and throw it at his head (thank the heavens he'd ducked just in time, because the heel on that thing could have killed him).

He barely had any time to react before she was ripping the car keys out of his hand and walking away. He'd only stuttered out words and gapped at her from the shock of almost being killed by a three-inch heel and also because his breath had been taken away at the sight of his girlfriend in a tight, midnight blue dress (not black, but blue. _Blue. _The kind that matched her eyes- ok, he'll stop now).

But before he'd even had time to admire the view, she was backing out of their parking space. All he could do was watch gob smacked as the car became a tiny speck in the distance.

So now he's here, drinking a juice pouch in their kitchen, trying to figure out what the hell he'd done wrong. His eyes take in the stove, then the floor tiles, then the wooden cabinets, as if they had the answer to Beca's sudden, murderous rage.

His gaze moves on to the refrigerator and lands on the calendar pinned onto the door, causing him to stop mid-sip and almost choke to death, as he pales at the sight of the date underlined in red. The one he underlined three weeks ago, and then forgot about.

_Oh, crap._ He really is an idiot.

* * *

_Three hours earlier_

This is unusual for her. Beca Mitchell does not dart around the room, trying to pick out an outfit, put on lip gloss, and curl her eyelashes simultaneously. But today, she'll make an exception.

It's her birthday. And while she has a long standing rule about not getting excited for these types of things, she's not going to pretend to hate it this time. She's never really been able to, anyway. Not since Jesse, the dork who's managed to surprise her each and every birthday, ever since they met seven years ago.

All her friends had called earlier to wish her a happy one, and there'd been a lot of squealing (not from her end, of course) when she'd mentioned that she has no clue what Jesse's been planning. In the past years, it's been big surprise parties, with all of their friends from college and sometimes even their families. Or even just romantic, movie-worthy dinners (her nerd is still obsessed), just the two of them. And he tries to top them each year. This will probably be one of those romantic years, since Chloe had flat out told her that none of the former Bellas had been contacted to help set up a party for her.

"_This could be _the _dinner, Beca!" Chloe had squealed loudly, causing her to make a face as she pulled the phone away from her sensitive eardrum. "He might have a very _important _question to ask you!"_

"_Uh- maybe," Beca replied nervously. "I don't want to have any high expectations, though. I don't even know if I'm ready for that yet." She ignored Chloe's snort and just hummed in agreement to her friend's ramblings as she searched her closet for something to wear._

"_We'll celebrate tomorrow at Lilly's. The girls and I will throw you a nice lunch and then we'll ruin the fanciness and annoy Aubrey by getting drunk with the liquor from Donald's bar (I'm sure Lilly won't tell on us). And then, we'll crash at her place and have a sleepover! Like we used to! I wanted to do that today, but I know Jesse's probably planning something special for you, so I'll let him monopolize your attention, but just for this birthday! Next year, we get to take you away for the day and we'll go to a spa! Oh! What are you going to wear tonight? Oh, I know! That dress we bought last week with Aubrey! It's gorgeous! Oh my god, I'm so excited for you, are you excited?! What am I saying? Of course, you're excited! This is amazingly exc-"_

"_Chloe!"_

"_Sorry."_

She is excited, though. And it's about time she shows it. Jesse's been pretty hush-hush on the whole birthday thing, so it must be something big. She woke up alone this morning, but she'll forgive him for that because she knows he probably got up early to finish setting up whatever it is he's planned. She's tired of pretending not to care, because she does. And she really can't wait.

Forty five minutes later, after getting ready and staring at the clock that says it's half past five, she tries to ignore the warning bells in her head asking _where the hell he is_.

* * *

_Present time_

All the signs were there. And yet…

He forgot.

Beca must want to kill him. He kind of wants to kill himself.

Maybe if he tries to blame the guys, she'll forgive him. He can just blame Bumper for setting up a basketball game on her birthday. Or he can blame his stressful job, because it distracted him from planning her surprise. He can blame Donald for being at a conference, when his friend clearly knows that out of their group, the only guys who remember birthdays are him, Jesse, and Benji. Or maybe he can even blame Benji, for not being quick enough to tell him over the phone, because their conversation makes so much sense now.

"_Hey, man. How's Japan?"_

"_It's cool, Jess. And I think my Japanese language skills are improving. I had a full conversation yesterday with the lady who sells raw fish and she didn't mistake my order once," Benji said proudly._

"_That's great, Benji!" He says as he passes the ball to Uni and walks over to the table where all the water bottles are located. _

"_So, what's the plan for today?"_

"_I don't know. I'm with the guys right now. We're just fooling around, playing some basketball. Then I'll just head home. This week's been a pain because of work."_

"_Cool, 'cause I called Beca this morning, you know, to wish- wait. You're with the guys?" Benji asked slowly. _

"_Yeah," Jesse said, equally as slowly and confused at his friend's tone of voice._

"_Bu- what about Beca?" Benji stuttered. _

_Jesse furrowed his brow. "She's at home. I mean, after this, I'll definitely go spend some time with her. Maybe make her watch a movie. But, you know, it'll be a pretty normal day for us."_

"_Wha- no. Jesse, no. I can't beli- you for-"_

"_Dude, I'm sorry. I've got to go. Bumper's being annoying as usual, and he's calling everyone back. He wants to finish the game before it's time for his karate class. Which is very surprising, because we all thought he was going to give up by the third lesson," Jesse chuckles, ignoring Bumper's insulted huff, followed by a 'karate kick' that's meant to prove he's actually learned something (but it only makes the others back out of the way as Bumper accidentally flips the table upside down). _

"_No! Jess-"_

"_I'll talk to you later," Jesse sighs as he hangs up and starts helping the others pick up the discarded water bottles, glaring at Bumper and the semi-sheepish, semi-satisfied smile on his face. _

He can try blaming anyone. But he knows it's his fault. He screwed up. It's made even clearer by the silence in the house that's currently unnerving him. Beca's not there, mixing music or telling him to get his feet off the coffee table, or resting her head on his chest as they go through movication. She's just…not there.

And he needs to fix that immediately.

* * *

She doesn't know what compelled her to drive to Amy's, but here she is. Maybe it's because her one of a kind friend is currently threatening to dismantle her idiotic boyfriend's body parts and then putting them back together in all the wrong places. Now, Beca should be enjoying this visual, considering just how freaking pissed she is, but she can't.

She is livid. She is angry. She is enraged, furious, infuriated, irritated, and all the synonyms you can think of for the word 'mad'.

But she's also hurt. And bitter. And kind of…heartbroken.

She can't believe he forgot.

Amy abruptly stops talking as she notices Beca's glassy eyes and quickly gets up to make her some tea (because tea is the Australian comfort drink). Fat Amy checks to make sure Beca isn't looking as she texts 'CODE RED ACABITCHES' to all of their friends. And ten minutes later, they're all there.

…

"So where's Bumper, anyway?" Ashley asks as she pops more popcorn into her mouth.

"He's at karate class. Don't tell him I said this but his high kicks now traumatize me," Fat Amy answers.

Aubrey shrugs. "I told you not to let him sign up for them. But anyway, let's not avoid the real issue here," she says, motioning to Beca's slumped form on the couch, where Jessica's trying to cheer her up with a magic trick Benji taught her.

Chloe walks over to the table and shakes her head as the rest of them begin to get up. "Let's not crowd her. We need to take this slowly. Now, I've created a Turn-Beca-Back-Into-Her-Sarcastic-Self-That-We-All-Know-And-Love system. And it is bound to work. First, we'll start with face masks-"

"Chloe, I think face masks will most likely bring forth a negative reaction from Beca," Aubrey states as she puts on her reading glasses and looks over the sketch Chloe has drawn out.

"Exactly! Thus bringing back her sarcasm!" Chloe whisper-yells, throwing her hands up in the air. This starts a series of mini-arguments as they gather around the piece of paper and look over the ideas.

"I think we should just talk to her," Lilly says. The rest of the former-Bellas stop mid-sentence and turn to stare at her.

"Yes," Chloe says, crumbling up the system sketch and throwing it over her shoulder. "You're completely right, Lilly. Let's go talk to her."

They approach the couch cautiously, like approaching a dangerous animal about to unpredictably snap at any second. Or burst into tears.

Jessica looks over her shoulder at them worriedly and they quicken their pace. Less than two seconds later, they're surrounding Beca on the leather couch. Amy scoots forward and pokes her former captain's nose to get her to open her eyes and look at them.

Beca blinks them open and finds herself face to face with nine stares directed solely at her. She resists the urge to jump six feet in the air and instead sniffs loudly. Then she clears her throat (because she is _not _that sad over this). "I can't believe he forgot," she murmurs unwillingly (okay, maybe she is).

"Talk to us, babe," Stacie tells her.

She stays quiet for a few more seconds, before spouting out ten words per second. "I always acted like I hated surprises. And like I didn't need to celebrate my birthday. But he has to know that it's not how I really feel, right? I love his surprises. I expected a big one today. I was so excited. Then, he shows up like three hours later than the usual time his surprises start, and he- he was- basketball shorts! I mean, he went out to play a stupid sport, while I sat at home and got excited over nothing! Do you know how horrible it feels when someone you care about forgets your birthday? Someone who spends _every day _with you? I-" she's cut off at the sound of the door slamming open.

"_Ey, wazaaappp!_" Bumper yells as he come into the living room, kicking up in the air and landing with a 'Hi-ya' that makes everyone look over at him like he has a mental disability. "What?" he shrugs.

"Did you know it was Beca's birthday today?" Cynthia Rose demands.

"Noooo. Happy birthday. Huh, that's funny, Jesse didn't mention anything to me," Bumper says, furrowing his brow at Beca's wince and Fat Amy's glare. "Ooohhhhh, he forgot, didn't he?! I guess he's not so perfect after all. Well, look on the bright side, no annoying surprise this year!" He only gets more glares as Beca slumps back onto the couch. "Okaaayyyy. You need to share with me more," he points out at Amy. "'Cause I don't know what's going on. Anyway, got to go. Jesse texted everyone; we're gonna meet up at his place. Probably gonna play some video games or something. Peace out!"

Everyone groans as he leaves, Amy going as far as banging her head on the coffee table repeatedly.

"Everything that comes out of his mouth is worse than dog poop," Denise says. The others can only nod in agreement as they turn their heads once again to Beca, who's buried her face into the cushion.

"Okay!" Aubrey claps her hands. "Let's get into our pajamas and put on a movie!" She backtracks as soon as she hears Beca's groan. "I mean, not a movie. Let's watch dramatic soap operas!"

"We're twenty four. Aren't we a little too old to have slumber parties?"

'Who said that?" Aubrey snapped. She nods satisfactorily as everyone stays quiet. "Good. Then get going, ladies. Chop, chop!"

* * *

"Okay," Jesse says, using a pointer to draw attention to the first step on the chalkboard. "This is how you'll all help with my Get-Beca-Mitchell-To-Forgive-Me-For-Being-A-Huge-Douche-Nozzle plan."

"Dude, where did you even get a pointer? I thought those things went extinct a long time ago. And where did you get a _chalkboard_?" Brandon asked.

"Probably from Aubrey. We used it once. When we were playing teacher and student. In the _bedroom_," Unicycle says proudly.

"Gross," Jesse mutters. "Moving on. So, first thing we need to do is find out where Beca is staying. We know it's not at Uni and Aubrey's. And…that's all we know. But one out of nine…isn't bad." He gives a frustrated sigh and scowls.

They all turn their heads toward the door when there's a knock. "It's open!" Jesse calls out.

"_Wazaaappp," _Bumper says as he walks into the kitchen and plops down onto a chair. "So, what are we doing?"

"We're helping Jesse get his girlfriend back," Eric says as he ruffles his dark hair and pops some Cheetos into his mouth.

"You mean, Beca? And I thought we were gonna have some fun," Bumper huffs. "She's probably not missing you anyway, dude. She's with her girly pals. And my screw buddy." Jesse stares at him. "Fine, my girlfriend. Can I just call her my 'screw buddy'? It sounds cooler." Bumper reaches for the chips on the counter.

"No, it doesn't. You know where Beca is?" Jesse asks bluntly.

"She's at my place. Duh," Bumper tells him as he chews with his mouth open, ignoring Unicycle's call of "Dude! Close your mouth, that's rude! Oh damn it, she's trained me."

"Okay," Jesse nods somberly. "And so it begins. Men, let's move out."

"Dude, you've watched too many movies," Bumper smirks.

* * *

She's in a comfortable, yellow t-shirt and blue, plaid pajama pants Aubrey brought for her. She's watching soap operas and eating ice cream out of the carton. She's surrounded by her closest friends.

And she still can't stop inwardly cursing her boyfriend and resisting the urge to sniffle at the same time. She opened her presents earlier, though Amy had to apologize for hers because it was a couple's gift. Beca kind of hates herself for it but she does hope she'll get to use it because the blindfold and chain look fun and Jesse would- Okay. No more.

"What was that, Beca?" Lilly asks her quietly as she hears her murmur something.

"Nothing. I just remembered…freshman year. We weren't together then but Jesse brought me juice pouches and cookies and hung out with me all day at the quad. He even had a cupcake with a candle in it. I still don't know how he even knew it was my birthday, 'cause I never told him," she says, not taking her eyes off the screen where Eduardo is currently being held at gunpoint by Patricia's ex-boyfriend (she thinks she can hear Ashley sobbing in the corner). She feels Lilly small hand cover her own and turns to smile at her. Then they both frown when they hear a crash and some muffled curses outside the window.

"What the heck?" Aubrey asks, turning off the TV and ignoring Ashley's gasp.

Fat Amy stands up and raises her hands like she's willing them to calm down. "No worries, toothpicks. I'll take care of this." She sneaks over to the window curtain like she's a spy (even throwing in a drop and roll). She peeks in through a side of the curtain and suppresses a smile. "Ey, little toothpick. I think you're gonna want to see this."

Beca looks around and huffs as everyone stares at her expectantly. She is not that small, damn it. She gets up and walks over to the window, trying to peek in through the other side, startling when Amy draws open the curtains forcibly.

"Lo and behold. A man who's not afraid to grovel," Fat Amy says as Beca gaps at the scene.

She reaches for the lock on the window and shoves it open. "What the hell, Jesse!" She hisses.

"Bec, hey!" Jesse smiles nervously at her. He's holding a microphone in his hand and gesturing at Unicycle to put on the music from the laptop that's connected to some speakers. Bumper's standing off to the side, looking bored out of his mind, while Eric and Brandon are holding signs above their heads that say, 'Forgive him, Beca. You know you want to' and of course, 'Don't give up on this hot nerd of yours, even though he messed up bad' (all in Jesse's handwriting).

"Jesse, no," Beca groans. "This is a respected neighborhood for Pete's sake." Her boyfriend just smirks confidently at her and taps his foot as the music starts playing.

_It's not even my birthday  
But he want to lick the icing off  
I know you want it in the worst way  
Can't wait to blow my candles out_

_He want that cake, cake,_  
_Cake, cake, cake, cake, cake,_  
_Cake, cake, cake, cake, cake,_  
_Cake, cake, cake_

Jesse sputters as he turns to glare at Unicycle. "Dude, that's not the song!" He grins at Beca's laughter, though.

Unicycle widens his eyes and tries to quickly locate the right file. Jesse runs his fingers through his hair and turns to smile sheepishly at Beca, who's watching him with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. It's his turn to smirk at her as Uni finds the song and he starts singing the opening notes. Beca can feel herself blushing to the roots of her hair.

_The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful_

_Stop me and steal my breath_

_And emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky_

_Never revealing their depth_

She tries to suppress her smile and covers her face with her hands as much as possible as she sees Amy's neighbors come out of their homes to get a closer look at the live performance.

_And I'll be your cryin' shoulder_

_I'll be love's suicide_

_And I'll be better when I'm older_

_I'll be the greatest fan of your life_

Damn it. This isn't fair. She's supposed to stay angry at him for a lot longer. She flushes as Jesse finishes the song, hitting the notes perfectly and gazing directly at her.

"Happy Birthday, Beca," he says into the microphone, giving her an apologetic grin. She barely hears the applause from the neighbors or the Bellas' simultaneous 'Aww'. Beca sighs as she moves away from the window and goes out the front door. The guys wish her a happy birthday as they walk past her and into the house. She reaches Jesse, who's scratching the nape of his neck nervously. She's glad the nosy neighbors have gone back inside because she does not want an audience right now; she can't really do anything about their nosy friends peeking in through the window, though.

"I doubt you'll believe this was the plan all along, huh?" he asks, sighing when she shakes her head at him. "It was worth a shot. I'm so sorry," Jesse says seriously. "I just- I can't even- I'm sorry."

She's forgiven him already; he has that effect on her. But she wants to milk this for a bit longer. "Even Donald remembered. He called and Benji did, too. And Unicycle sent me a Facebook message." That had Aubrey written all over it, but still. "I was expecting one of your surprises, Jesse Swanson."

"I know," he says dejectedly. He reaches for her hand and lets out a relieved breath when she doesn't pull it away. "It won't happen again, I promise." He looks up at her hopefully at his use of the word 'again', to see if she'd still consider him someone to celebrate her birthday with.

Beca stares at him for a few more seconds, watching him gulp and tighten his grip on her hand. "Okay. I guess you can make it up to me next year," she says happily. She waits for her nerd to process this and lifts her hand to brush through his hair (which he has completely mussed up due to his nervous habit).

He finally gets it and she squeaks as he picks her up to hug her close and wraps her legs around his waist. Jesse faintly hears their friends hooting from the window, but ignores them by burying his face in Beca's hair. Life can be good again. He's got his girlfriend wrapped around him and he plans on taking her home soon to show her how fun it can be to celebrate a birthday. He's especially excited for this because he's pretty sure Amy got her a gift from a sex shop (Amy's just that kind of person) and his intuition hasn't failed him before.

He lifts his head from Beca's neck and looks up at her as she smiles down at him. "You better make the remaining hours of my birthday enjoyable, nerd," she says as she leans in to kiss his lips.

"I will," he mumbles against her mouth. "But if we're going to make it in time, we've got to go now." He races over, still carrying her ('cause she's that tiny and weightless), to Amy's front door, where Chloe's waiting with a smirk, carrying a bag packed with Beca's clothes and presents, and holding out the car keys. He thanks her as he takes it all, his girlfriend still in his arms (she really is weightless), as he heads over to the car.

"Do you think this plan came out better than your original one would have?" Beca asks him as she holds onto his neck.

"I don't know," Jesse muses. "But not bad for a last minute thing, huh?"

Beca chuckles, "Sure…well, no, not bad at all." She rolls her eyes as he grins hugely at her.

He's actually not really sure how his original one would have turned out. Maybe it would have had something to do with a candlelit dinner, or a weekend away from home. Maybe it would have even involved the ring stashed away in his drawer. But you know what? He'll save that for Christmas. It's only a couple of months away; he can wait (he needs to make that a movie-worthy moment, because that's just who he is).

* * *

_Done! It's a bit long, but I hope you guys liked it._

_Review?_


	4. An Instance

So...just realized I'm a fluff writer...I honestly had no clue until I read the reviews for the last chapter, and I'm normally not a cheesy person by nature, but...

I can roll with it.

* * *

_First:_

Jesse winces as he heaves his backpack strap onto his shoulder, dragging his feet out of the classroom and toward the building exit. There's a reason why people become college drop-outs. And it has something to do with fifteen page term papers and a sometimes nonexistent social life. Maybe he could forget about graduating and get a job as a bus driver or something.

That would be fun; he could go places.

He rubs his eyes as he reaches his dorm, looking up the flight of stairs warily, wondering if it'd too weird for him to take a nap on the floor first. Jesse sighs as he trudges up the steps, wishing for the ability to fly. Damn birds and their unjustifiable privileges.

By the time he reaches his room, he swears his feet are blistered and bleeding. All thanks to the broken elevator. Damn juniors; don't they know you're not supposed to play soccer in an enclosed space like that?

He just wants to get into bed and _die_.

His uncharacteristic suicidal plans are broken off abruptly as he opens the door and startles as he sees his very adored, tiny person drowning in one of his oversized sweatshirts and fooling around on his laptop.

"Hey, weirdo," Beca says, not looking up from the screen and taking sips from her juice pouch (well, his juice pouch, but really hers; she drinks them all, anyway).

Jesse gives a small smile in response, leaning over his bed to kiss her cheek in hello and unceremoniously throwing his backpack onto the desk chair (he misses and it crashes down loudly – that's how many textbooks he has in there). He flops down onto the open space beside her, and buries his face into his pillow.

He feels Beca's hand run through his hair, soothing his poor soul and causing his body to melt deeper into the mattress. At least now he can die happily.

"Stressed, much?" She asks as she snaps the laptop shut and reaches over to place it on his nightstand, throwing the juice pouch into the bin afterwards (_she _doesn't miss; her aim's pretty badass).

Jesse mumbles something she can't make out into his pillow and Beca raises her eyebrows as she tugs down her messy bun, letting her hair fall around her shoulders messily. "What was that?"

He turns his head to the side and looks up at her through half-lidded eyes. "I'm planning on dropping out. Are you with me?" He asks, his hand reaching up to tug on one of her curls.

"My dad would love that," she replies sarcastically, lying down beside him.

"Right?" He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her toward him. Jesse kisses her temple as he closes his eyes again.

"Hey," Beca whispers, turning onto her side and flicking his nose.

"Ouch," Jesse mutters. "What do you want, you she-devil?" He hears Beca huff as she prods his side in retaliation. He opens his eyes to look at her, smiling at the grumpy look on her face.

"I'm bored."

"And I want to sleep." He sticks his tongue out at her.

"Entertain me."

"Watch me sleep."

"Why would I want to look at you more than I already have to?" She asks in a bored tone, trying not to smirk.

"Don't deny the fact that I'm insanely handsome," he says, waggling his eyebrows.

She scrunches her nose up at him and suppresses a smile. "You're such a nerd," she laughs, finally giving in to his irresistible charm (his words, not hers). Jesse gives her a goofy grin, the kind only her laugh brings out in him. He leans over to kiss her nose sweetly, making her flush and turn her face into his pillow. He laughs and pulls her closer. "Go to sleep, weirdo," she mumbles, shutting her eyes.

_When she scrunches her nose up and laughs (usually at him, but it's worth it)._

* * *

_Second:_

He heads over to the quad, trying to balance his laptop and stack of DVDs at the same time. His Music History class (yes, it's a real thing) had been prolonged, making him late for his movication with Beca and forcing him to fly to his room and back. He could have just come by without the movies, but that would have meant changing their carefully-programmed-schedule (well, his schedule that only he cares about, but still).

That's just…unthinkable.

Jesse quickens his pace as he catches a glimpse of her through the two trees he walks by. Beca's lying on her back on top of the blanket he insists they keep bringing, listening to the music coming out of her large headphones with her eyes closed and her face turned to the side.

Within six feet of her now, he takes the remaining steps slowly and quietly settles down onto the grass, lying back and facing Beca upside down as he levels his face with hers, his head resting on the blanket. He watches her as she taps her fingers against her stomach in rhythm to the music and soon enough, her brow furrows a bit as she feels his stare.

Beca opens her blue eyes slowly, until they're half-lidded, first noticing the DVDs placed over his head and then looking up to meet his gaze, the corners of her lips tilting up. He grins and starts bobbing his head exaggeratedly to the beat of one of his mental soundtracks, while tapping his hands against his stomach. His smile widens when she rolls her eyes at him.

_Weirdo, _she mouths.

Jesse props himself up on one elbow and leans over to place a kiss on her lips, mumbling, "You know you love it."

"Whatever," she says.

"Hey! I just realized we're totally channeling Spider-Man right now! How cool is that, Bec?"

She pushes him away laughingly. "I'd rather be Gwen Stacy," she says semi-seriously.

Jesse gasps. "You remember!" he cries out in shock.

Beca scoffs, "Maybe. Sort of… Yeah."

_When he finds out she made an effort to stay awake in Movication._

* * *

_Third:_

"_Rain keeps falling; rain keeps falling, down, down, down"_

Yes, thank you Simple Minds, she gets it. She's getting soaked with rain while power-walking across campus. Oh, the irony.

Her iPod's safely tucked into her back pocket; the only thing not getting drenched but she guesses it's worth it. At least it's small; if she had brought her laptop with her, she'd be pissed.

Beca can see her dorm in the distance, so she wraps her arms around herself and picks up her pace. She squeaks as she almost looses her footing on the wet cement, bracing herself against a nearby bench. Why did she have to have class _today_, of all days; this is the first time it's rained in weeks. She's only a few feet away now, huffing at the wet hair that's draped over one of her eyes. Beca resists the urge to shake her fist up at the sky as her hand slips off the door handle, making her scowl as she carefully tries to pull it open again.

She should be sighing in relief from the warm air that hits her from the heaters but it just makes her shiver in her clothes because of the change in temperature. By the time she reaches her room, half her hair's hanging over her face, her supposedly waterproof eyeliner's probably running, and her shoes are emitting annoying squeaks with every step she takes. No one should ever see her like this.

Which is why she throws her hands up in exasperation once she opens the door to her room and sees Jesse staring over worriedly at Fat Amy, who's trying to show him the cool positions she's learned in her yoga class (she really shouldn't try to do them without Beca there; she's gotten stuck the last five times).

They both turn to look at her as there's a loud thunderclap outside, making the scene look like something out of a horror movie (or at least Amy thinks so, because she stops trying to put her legs behind her head as she gasps and plops down onto the floor). Beca resists the urge to groan, knowing she probably looks like a drowned rat. Amy, she could handle, but how in the hell is she supposed to seduce Jesse (because it's how she's gotten out of trouble with him plenty of times) in the future if he has the image of her looking like this stuck in his head forever?

"Beca," he gawks at her as he stands up from her bed and looks her over from head to toe (kill her now). "Are you nuts? Why didn't you call me to pick you up or something?" He admonishes, unzipping his hoodie and rushing towards her.

"Well, it started off as a drizzle. I didn't expect it to get this bad, ok?" She sighs as wrings her hair, letting droplets of water fall onto the rug.

"Looks like Zeus was angry today," Fat Amy says. "One of his wives must have cheated on him. Don't worry, Shawshank, we'll get you dry in no time. I'm gonna bring some towels, maybe even have a talk with our mythological God, trying to blow over trees with his cries of misery," she pats Beca's head on her way out, murmuring something about 'waterproof makeup and her appreciation for its existence'.

Beca's too distracted by then, because Jesse's taken off his hoodie, revealing a form-fitting shirt underneath, and he reaches for the hem of her shirt once he slips her jacket off her shoulders. "Woah, I'm quite possibly going to end up with a bad cold because of this and you're trying to get me naked? Selfish, much?" She jokes.

He smiles, pulling off her shirt and frowning once he feels her ice cold skin, like ice-popsicle cold. Jesse quickly reaches into her closet for an old tank top, tapping her arm to get her to lift them up so he can pull it on her. He then takes his Treble uniform and makes her put that on, too, going as far as pulling the hoodie over her head, to try and dry her hair with that.

She's just going with it. Especially when he leans down to unbutton her jeans and take off her shoes. Next thing she knows, she's in a fresh pair of socks and one of his comfy sweatpants she always keeps in her drawer. She doesn't notice she's still shivering until he's sitting on her bed, hands on her hips, and pulling her onto his lap. "You're skin's freezing," he murmurs, kissing her head through the hoodie covering her hair.

Beca shrugs, giving a weak chuckle as she glances at herself in the mirror on Amy's side of the room. Instead of looking like a drowned rat, now she just looks like a midget drowning in oversized clothes, the hoodie almost covering half her face (aka ridiculous). At least her makeup isn't running.

"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Jesse frowns at her.

She looks up at him as she pushes back the hoodie with a scowl, remembering the horrible death her phone had suffered. "I was on the second floor when it'd just started to rain hard, and I slipped. I used the hand that was holding it to grab the railing…it fell." Fell hard. Into the unforgiving, cement floor. Maybe Amy wasn't so far off. Maybe Zeus really is angry (though it's pretty rude of him to take it out an innocent bystander…but whatever).

Her unsympathetic boyfriend just chuckles down at her, "Well, you've had a pretty adventurous day."

She rolls her eyes at him and presses her cold nose into his cheek, laughing as he jumps. His body heat is doing a pretty good job of warming her skin. She lifts her hands to her mouth, blowing hot air into them and using the long sleeves to cover them fully. Beca looks back at Jesse when she feels his intense stare on the side of her face. His hand's under her shirt, pressed hot against her stomach and he has that soft look in his eyes he always gets whenever he has the time to watch her without her bugging him about it.

It's not fair; that gaze always makes her flush and get this warm feeling in her lower stomach (which is _so _not her, I mean, _come on_). She doesn't really get it; she looks like crap. And he…looks like his usual self (which is actually _very_ good-looking…sometimes she'll just stare at his face, or arms, or jawline when he's not watching. She will _never _admit this).

So Beca decides to distract him. She can't think when Jesse's looking at her like that. She turns in his lap to straddle him and wrap her arms around his neck. "Hey nerd, warm me up?" She asks cheekily.

He laughs, his eyes twinkling (eyes shouldn't _twinkle_, but his does…she can't stop looking at them…damn him), and he leans forward to press his lips to hers, his nose brushing against her cold one. Jesse moves her hair over one shoulder, pressing his warm face into her neck, making her shiver (but she does it _discreetly_…she hopes). "I love you," he breathes into her skin. Beca hugs him tighter in response.

Amy ruins the moment when she comes in three minutes later and very bluntly asks them if she needs to sleep at one of her boyfriends' room to give them some privacy for their 'animal sex'. She defends herself at Beca's glare: "Well, that's what it sounds like."

_When he really can't understand how she still looks gorgeous as hell after having lived through an almost rainstorm that curled the tips of her hair and made her blue eyes stand out even more, instead of making her look like a drowned rat. _

* * *

_Fourth:_

"Dude, if you don't stop poking me…" she lets the threat hang in the air.

Jesse huffs and turns back to his laptop, turning up the volume as Daniel Day Lewis argues with Sally Field (who is frankly acting _nuts_, but still giving one hell of a performance). "This is one of the best films of the year, Beca. To fall asleep while watching it is just an insult to every great actor out there," he admonishes.

Beca rolls her eyes as she fluffs up her pillow, making sure to take her time doing it and annoying him in the process. "Well, it takes too much concentration to try and understand everything they're saying. And it's _historical_. We already know how it ends, so why do we need to watch it?"

"Because of the performances! Does 'Academy Award' mean _nothing _to you?" he asks with a scandalized look on his face she tries really hard not to laugh at. He crosses his arms as she snorts in response and pointedly directs his glare to his laptop screen, the frown falling off his face once Daniel Day Lewis is in his direct line of sight again (he might have a man crush).

Beca sighs as she leaves the comfort of her pillow and scoots closer to him. "Okay, I'm sorry. But are you seriously going to watch the whole thing?" She glances at the movie timeline on his laptop, widening her eyes when she sees there's still over an hour left. "Come on, Jesse. Can't we do something else?"

"Thursday night is Movication Night," he murmurs without taking his eyes from the screen.

Beca glares at the side of his face, leaning back on her hands when he keeps ignoring her after a couple of minutes. She purses her lips as she brushes her hair out of her eyes, trying to think of something to gain his attention (not that she _wants _it or anything, but…damn it, he's supposed to spend time with her…shut up). Beca stretches her legs out, purposefully hitting his leg in the process and seeing him glance at her from her periphery as she leans further back. His eyes seem to be fixated on the silver of skin showing once her shirt rises up. He snaps his head back to his laptop as she lifts her head to look at him. Well, duh. Why didn't she think of this before?

She smirks as she bends her knees to sit back on them, getting closer to Jesse and lifting a hand to run it across his shoulder blade, placing her other hand on his leg to support her weight as she brings her lips to his ear. "I don't feel like watching a movie."

Jesse gives a small hum in response, choosing not to give in to her demands and reaching for some more popcorn. He almost chokes on it as he feels Beca's hand slide up his thigh. "So, here's a fun fact," he says in a high-pitched tone, trying not to focus on her touch. "Liam Neeson was originally cast as Lincoln in January 2005, but in July 2010, he left the project, saying he was too-" His evil, tiny person's now running her nails down the nape of his neck (like she knows he likes) and caressing the inside of his thigh, getting closer to-

"Shi-" he jumps up, knocking over the bowl of popcorn and his laptop in the process. Beca gasps in surprise and takes a minute to look at the mess, resisting the urge to snicker.

"Good thing we're not in my room," she says smugly.

Jesse throws his head back and groans in exasperation, wincing as he moves to the edge of the bed, fearing the state his laptop must be in. He sighs in relief once he sees the lucky, safe landing it had on a couple of pillows they'd left on the floor. He feels Beca's hand play with the hem of his shirt, sneaking under to run her nails down his back…

He smirks at her surprise when he turns around quickly, grabbing her waist and pinning her down onto the bed. "You're an evil, little person, you know that?" He asks, leaning forward to draw her bottom lip in between his. She smiles against his lips and nods her head (who cares? She got what she wanted).

_When she uses her devilish, distractive tactics on him (it kind of turns him on…okay, it definitely turns him on). _

* * *

_Fifth:_

This is really not the time for interruptions.

Beca gasps as his hips pin her to the bed and move against hers. Her hands reach down to undo his belt, taking her longer than it should but his lips are nipping around the edge of her bra so she can't really be held accountable. She's using her feet to push his jeans down his legs when there's a knock on the door.

He groans against her skin at the same time she releases an annoyed huff. "Ignore it," he whispers, running his hands up her ribs and kissing her jawline. They continue happily until multiple knocks come through the door.

"We know you're in there, Jesse!"

"Ey, Toothpick! Open the door before Stacie knocks it down with her large bosom!"

"You ditched rehearsal, Swanson! For sex…I am so proud!"

Beca throws her head back in exasperation and pushes against his chest, telling him to go answer the door. She tries to smother her laughter when he gets up and trips in his haste to get to it as he tries to walk with his pants around his ankles.

"Shit, forgot about that," he mutters. He pulls his jeans back up and glances at her to make sure she's decent before opening the door. "What?" He snaps.

"Rude," Unicycle scoffs.

"Actually, interrupting sex is one of the worst insults to mankind. We were meant for reproduction and to interrupt that beauty is just-"

"Why do you always sound so much smarter when you talk about sex?" Fat Amy asks Stacie, who just waves her nail file dismissively at her.

"They made me tell you where you were, Jesse," Benji says apologetically. "Sorry, Beca!" he calls into the room.

Beca comes to stand next to Jesse, wearing the same exasperated grimace he's giving their friends. She shrugs at Benji and gives him a half smile. "What do you guys want?" she asks as she turns to Amy, Stacie, and Lilly (who's been quiet all this time…not that it's surprising or anything…)

Fat Amy crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes at her. "You promised you'd help me with my breathing exercises. How else am I supposed to get through cardio?" she asks, ignoring the fact that they'd already _done that yesterday _(it is not fun).

"And I'm just here because I wanted to walk in on you guys, for scientific purposes, but they started knocking before I could," Stacie replies disinterestedly.

Beca can only gap at her as she shakes her head and turns to Lilly. "I need help feeding my pet tarantula, and no one else wanted to do it," the bug-eyed girl tells her quietly.

Beca sighs. The only person she's willing to forgive is Lilly (because let's face it, Eugene is a very picky eater), and even that doesn't seem like a good enough reason to leave her boyfriend's side. She glances at Jesse, who looks like he wants to bang his head against the door, and catches his eye. She gives him an apologetic smile and shrugs.

Jesse groans and really does thump his head against the door. She holds in a chuckle and turns to hug his neck. "I'll make it up to you, nerd," she whispers into his ear.

"Okay," he mumbles against her cheek and Beca kisses the corner of his lips (because if she does anything more, she won't leave). Jesse grips her chin to kiss her properly anyway, reaching his arm out to punch Unicycle in the arm as he makes gagging sounds.

It takes all of Fat Amy's strength (and she has a lot) to pull Beca away (Jesse doesn't let go until the very last second), and she huffs at the effort.

The four Bellas turn to walk away, Stacie whispering inappropriate things to his girlfriend, Lilly humming a tune, Fat Amy cracking her knuckles, and Beca looking over her shoulder to give him one last smirk.

Jesse ignores Unicycle's hand waving frantically in front of his face and smiles back at her.

_When she gives him her famous smirk; the one that holds a promise._

* * *

_Sixth:_

They're not _really _angry at each other; they're just stubborn.

_She's_ not going to give in, and _he's_ not going to give in, so…

They're at a standstill.

He tries not to glance back at her as he sees her lean up on her tiptoes from his periphery. Beca's trying to place the CD on a tall shelf, making her shirt ride up and exposing the milky skin of her lower back. He almost takes a step towards her instinctively, to reach up and help her stack it, while running his hand across her stomach, but he stays in place. Jesse tries not to snicker at the huff that falls from her lips, knowing she'd done it on purpose to try and lure him in.

They had a small argument yesterday, but he barely remembers what it is and he's pretty sure she doesn't either. But he'd been annoyed enough to leave in a fit and she'd let him go without a word. So, they couldn't just act like nothing happened but they're not angry anymore, either.

But neither of them wants to be the weak one in the relationship. It'll be a while before anyone breaks.

Jesse starts humming a tune under his breath, all the while tapping in rhythm with his foot and reading the playlist on one of the CDs. He knows it'll annoy her; he's acting like she's not even there.

Beca retaliates by taking off her plaid button-up, leaving on the small tank top underneath. She knows it'll gain his attention and by the looks of it, Luke's too (because he's suddenly very interested in looking at her through the booth windows).

It looks like Jesse can tell, too, because he flexes his jaw and slaps the CD back onto the shelf. She raises her eyebrows at him from the other side of the room, daring him to do something about it.

_Get over here, _she seems to say as she leans her hip against the table, both males' eyes following the movement.

He looks back at her, resisting the urge to smirk as a male voice comes through the small speaker in the station, taking advantage of it as he starts singing along. She can't resist his voice, even he knows this. He sees Beca straighten her shoulders, trying to suppress a shiver. It makes him feel smug.

_No, you come to me, _Jesse says with his eyes as he sings along to Matchbox Twenty's _Unwell_.

Beca raises an eyebrow at him, picking up a record and running a hand over the table, as if to remind him of the time they'd broken Luke's most important rule, and he swallows hard. Good times.

He sees Luke staring at them suspiciously from the booth and decides to take this somewhere private. Jesse picks up a crate of CDs, tilting his head subtly at Beca in the direction of the stairs that lead to the second floor.

Four minutes later, he hears her coming up and he fidgets with the records he's been mindlessly stacking on top of each other. She comes into view, crossing her arms and leaning back onto a shelf, the gleam in her eyes daring him to make a move. His fingers tap uselessly against the old shelf, thankful for the fact that it conceals them from their manager's prying eyes.

They stare at each other for a couple of minutes, their eyes moving from other's lips to the newly bought couch off to the side...and then it's hard to say who grabs the other first. All he knows is that they break Luke's recent 'no sex on the couch' rule, too.

_When they play their game of 'who caves in first', and then end up not caring._

* * *

He calls it, six instances in which Beca Mitchell makes you go fhifjjgvbcxbvzv;dks;ldnclmfnv.

Which is pretty smart of him, because he doesn't know how else to describe it. You know, those moments when someone meaningful makes your mouth go dry and you lose your train of thought. When they make you look like an idiot, ogling them in the most unsubtle way, getting that glint of adoration in your eyes you become known for whenever they're around.

That's what she does to him. And he'll gladly add more moments to these, because that means they'd have more time together to create them. He really doesn't get how no one else feels the effect Beca has when she does these things, but then again, maybe it's just him that experiences them, or understands the meaning of them. Well, then…

He can roll with it.

* * *

_I'm supposed to be studying, gah! I hate them (Beca and Jesse) for doing this to me. And they turned me into a fluff writer, too! _

_...I love those weirdos._

_Oh! Please read!_

_See, I never intended for these oneshots to be connected in any way (though the ones I've written so far could just be in different timelines), so it really surprised me that so many of you asked me to do the engagement sequel for 'The Date'. Well, I should have expected it with that last paragraph (it came out of nowhere, just so you know). And I already have a vague idea of how I'm going to do it, but if you guys have any ideas, it would be really helpful. The crazier, the better ('cause it's called 'Misadventures' for a reason, something has to go wrong...which is why maybe this chapter doesn't fit in all that much...ignore that, please)._

_Review, Awesome Nerds? (Flattery will get you everywhere)_


	5. Our Refugee Weirdo Gang (Part I)

_Gah! So sorry for taking so long to update this! _

_I'm working on the sequel to the 'Date', I promise, but this idea just popped into my head and I don't know where it's going, but...hope you guys enjoy it._

* * *

"We have to leave," Unicycle pants while running around the room and grabbing anything within reach to throw into a suitcase.

Jesse furrows his brow from the couch in the living room, putting down his laptop and staring over worriedly at his frantic friend, who's now currently trying to stuff his unicycle, _yes, unicycle,_ into a small carry-on.

"Uh…why is that exactly?" He asks confoundedly.

Unicycle starts babbling on, spitting out words that are most definitely not in the right order, because they don't make any sense. All Jesse can understand is, 'refugees', 'doves', 'magic', 'screwed', and 'office'. _What the hell does that mean?_

"You're going to have to slow down a bit," he drawls. "I only speak English…and a bit of Spanish. Learned some German recently, too…"

Unicycle turns to face him with his hands buried deep in his mop of hair, taking deep breaths as he opens his mouth to try and actually speak normally. Finally, "Benjitriedamagictrickandsomehowitenededupwithdove spoopingalloverthedean'sofficeandnowwehavetobecome refugees!"

Jesse blinks owlishly at him, mouthing the words to himself as he tries to make sense of what Uni's just blurted out at ten words per nano-second. "Wait…doves…pooped…in someone's office?" He asks slowly.

"Not just anyone!" Unicycle shouts with his hands raised high in exasperation. "A dean's! A dean's office!" He glares at the brunette sitting calmly on the couch with now obviously twitching lips. "This isn't funny! We could get expelled! You know how much colleges hate pranks, and this wasn't even done on purpose!"

Just then, the front door opens and Benji comes running in, looking as freaked out as Unicycle. "Have you packed?!" He nods quickly as Uni gestures to the bags off to the side. "Okay, so I need to pack!" Benji turns to race up the stairs, taking note of Jesse at the last second. "Hurry! We can't leave any witnesses! Go pack!" Then he flies up threes stairs at a time.

Jesse raises his eyebrows at the hazardous state his normally calm, but dorky friend is in. "Why do _I_ have to 'seek refuge'?"

"Because! No witnesses!" Unicycle hastily agrees with Benji as he starts using his foot to push his one wheeler into the too small bag.

"But I wasn't even ther-"

"But you know the full story! And it's partly your fault, too," Uni nods at Jesse's incredulous face. "Yeah, well, you always tell Benji to do his bird tricks outside, and you told me to supervise him today, and I didn't want this to happen, and-"

"Woah, okay," Jesse holds a hand up. "Look, it was an accident. We just have to smooth things over with the dea-"

"No! That's not going to work! You didn't see the office, Jesse! Poop! Everywhere! Poop! And doves," Unicycle squints and swats at the air around him, as if he could still see birds flying around, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

Jesse drags his hand down his face, trying to think of a solution to this insanely, weird…problem of theirs. "I highly doubt we have to leave the country. Which dean does the office belong to?"

"The Admissions one," Unicycle says shakily. "The one that got that group of freshmen expelled last month for trying to dress up the founder's statue with women's lingerie."

Jesse fingers freeze over his keyboard, stopping in the process of writing an email to the admission's office explaining what had happened. He looks up slowly, his face now pale. "You sure?"

Uni looks desperate as he nods his head and picks up his luggage, with difficulty because one of them has a half-pushed in vehicle inside, and heads over to the door. "We must leave," he says seriously. "Or face the consequences."

And at the sound of Benji thundering down the stairs, with three full bags (his magic kits are definitely stuffed into at least two of them), Jesse jumps into action.

_His DVDs. His laptop. His life._

He would've never guessed how much of an Olympic athlete he could've been in another life, as he flashes to his room in record time, dragging his suitcase out of the closet and carrying it over to the shelves first.

_The Trilogies first. No…the Academy Award Winners. No…the Academy Award Winning Scores…Damn it!_

Ten minutes later, glaring out the window to Unicycle's frantic honking, Jesse has two full bags ready to go and he tries not to shed emotional tears (_manly tears_) as he turns his back on the few DVDs he has to now leave behind. He runs out the door to Benji's car and helps the two friends responsible for the grave abandonment of his movies (only twenty…but still) try to close the trunk on four full-to-the-hilt suitcases.

"Where do we put the other three?" Benji asks with the same panicked expression he's been wearing since entering the Treble House.

"They're relatively small; let's just put them in the backseat," Jesse replies.

"It's too suspicious!" Unicycle shouts. "We have to leave at least one behind."

Benji and Jesse turn to look at the three left, the first holding some magic kits, the other containing movies, and the last ripping apart at the seams because of the one-wheeled vehicle inside. "Leave yours," they insist at the same time.

Unicycle looks like he's about to have a very serious heart attack and this now starts a chain of arguments, while they try to figure out what to do. But something in Jesse's chest tugs as he frowns at his luggage. _There's something I'm forgetting. Something more important. But what?_

"What. Are you _weirdos_ doing?"

The three pale faces turn to look at the amused expressions now gathered in the front yard, watching them like one would watch a species of unusual creatures just for pure entertainment.

And Jesse's face lights up at the sight of his girlfriend's chestnut hair and raised eyebrow. _Right!_

Without any hesitation whatsoever, he runs over to grab Beca around the waist, still carrying his carry on over one shoulder and now lifting a tiny being so her feet don't touch the ground, ignoring her indignant yell. Not having any second thoughts, he drops the bag onto the floor and turns to glance over at Unicycle and Benji. "Let's go. I'm ready," he says determinedly.

"Wherever you're going, I'm in," Fat Amy says excitedly. "It's been a while since I've been on an adventure," she rubs her hands together.

Jesse nods at her and then at Stacie, who looks to be in agreement, while he ignores the finger now flicking his forehead, attached to the same body whose voice is reprimanding him and telling him to put her down. Jesse turns to look at Beca exasperatedly, grabbing her hand to stop the abuse. "Now's not the time for questions. We have to go."

"I swear," she begins angrily. "If this another one of your movie scene reenactments, I am not going along with it…unless it's the kind of role-playing from last week…that was fun," Beca shrugs carelessly.

"We'll definitely do that again, yes," he mutters. "But right now, we're refugees."

Beca wraps an arm around Jesse's neck as he tightens his grip on her, trying not to slip all the way to the ground. "What did you do?" She asks with a bored expression on her face.

"No time!" Unicycle says. "We've got everything. Girls, our luggage, and we have to stop for food on the way. So let's go, go, go!"

"We'll never fit into that weak Junker. I brought my jeep; let's just take that. Runs faster than a dingo hunts," Fat Amy says decidedly.

"But I'll drive, because you drive like a lunatic," Stacie tells her nonchalantly as she files her nails.

"I'd rather keep my distance from that thing you use as a moving brothel. I'm pretty sure there were some very suspicious stains in the backseat," Beca frowns at Fat Amy, resting her nose against Jesse's hairline from where he's still holding her up like a damn carry-on. "Dude," she starts in annoyance. "You need to put me down. I'm not going anywhere."

"Only 'cause I'm still holding onto you," Jesse mumbles, earning an irritated huff from Beca. "If I let go, you'll just go back to your dorm and that's just unacceptable because you are now part of this."

"Part of _what_?" She asks exasperatedly. "Whatever you guys are freaking out over, it's probably not a big deal anyway."

"Oh no, it is Beca!" Benji shouts, his face ashen. "It's monumental; in the worst way. And if we don't leave, we're going to get in serious trouble."

Beca looks around at Benji's troubled look, Unicycle's panicked pacing, Fat Amy and Stacie's curious expressions, and finally, her nerd's pleading gaze, his eyes wide open and nose brushing hers. "Fine," she barks. "We'll do this your way. You weirdos can freak out all you want, but this little adventure thing can't last more than five days tops; I have a paper due Monday."

"Alright! Let's do this!" Amy yells with an enthusiastic fist pump. Stacie turns to face her as she motions for the car keys with her hand. Unicycle and Benji grab the suitcases and race over to the neon green Jeep parked off to the side. Beca smiles in relief as she's finally let down (she feels too damn short when being carried) and helps Jesse with one of his bags.

"If this ends in disaster, I'm putting all the blame on you," she narrows her eyes at him.

"Deal," Jesse nods. Now, he's ready. Movies and microwaveable popcorn? Necessary. But Beca? Impossible to leave behind. "And to think I was forgetting to bring you," he mutters, shaking his head.

"I'm not freaking luggage," Beca snaps. She's probably going to regret this.

* * *

_Just fooling around a bit here; some light-hearted 'adventures'/roadtrips. I don't know how many parts this'll be yet, but well...I guess we'll find out in due time. It's a bit short, sorry._

_Please review, my awesome nerds! _


	6. Life Gives You Lemons

_Sequel to 'The Date' !_ _I've spent way too long on this. I'm nervous. _

* * *

The world is against him.

_The world. Is. Against. Him._

He doesn't know how it got to the point where he and Beca are running around, trying to put out the blanket on fire while simultaneously batting at a wild squirrel with an old broom that's giving him splinters. But he _cannot_ roll with this.

* * *

_December 23__rd__ – 10:03 a.m. _

"I'm not sure about this…"

"It'll be great!" Jesse says enthusiastically. "Just the two of us in Vancouver, a remote cabin in the woods…sounds like an awesome Christmas to me."

"Yeah, but we'll be away from everyone else," Beca replies unsurely. "And I know you're big on family, especially around the holidays-"

"Well, it's not like we do this every year. This could be a one time thing. Or once every couple of years if it goes well…like a couple's retreat," Jesse says as he keeps on packing.

Beca looks over at him from her relaxed slouch against the comfortable pillows of their bed. "It's just really unexpected. I thought we'd agreed on spending Christmas with your family this year; I didn't know you were going to spring this on me during breakfast."

Jesse heaves one full suitcase onto the floor and then starts on the next one. "I wanted it to be a surprise. And my parents already know; they don't mind. We do have the right to want to spend at least one holiday to ourselves, you know?"

"We won't see Chloe, or Amy, or even Benji," Beca frowns. "It'll be weird."

Jesse pauses in the middle of looking over his checklist. "Do you not want to go?" he asks worriedly. "Because I could cancel the tickets…I just thought…maybe you'd like the idea of going somewhere private and - I don't know - maybe romantic, with me-"

Beca sits up to crawl over on her knees and reach the edge of the bed to where Jesse's currently standing. "Of course I would love that, nerd," she says as she leans up to wrap her arms around his neck, his hands instinctively coming up to encircle her waist. "It's just sudden, you know? And we've never been away from family on Christmas, so it's strange. But you're right. It sounds really nice and I would love to go somewhere where it'll be just the two of us," Beca smiles softly at him. "But you're sure?"

"Positive," Jesse nods. "I'm absolutely positive." They'll have an amazing holiday and everything will go smoothly.

_It has to._

* * *

_3:45 p.m. _

"_Flight 115, Now Boarding. Please make your way to Gate C3"_

Jesse grabs Beca's hand and pulls her away from her half-eaten pizza, jogging to the gate entrance. "Jesse," she whines. "I was still eating that."

"There's food on the plane," he replies as they stand and wait in line. Beca has to nudge him when he starts bouncing on his tiptoes, but it doesn't tone down his excitement.

"What kind of a boyfriend are you? You're starving me and you're happy about it," Beca mutters.

Jesse throws his arm around her neck and pulls her close. "I'll get you some Pringles or something later," he promises.

"I love Pringles," they hear from behind them. Both turn to look at a skinny, bleach blonde staring at them with wide eyes. "I also love M&Ms, but not the red ones; they freak me out."

"Good to know," Beca says slowly while Jesse just nods and flashes the girl an awkward smile. They face forward again, glancing at each other with raised eyebrows. _Okay. _

"Ticket, please," the flight attendant chirps as she smiles at them mechanically. They hand over their boarding passes, Beca giving the brunette a glare when she leers at Jesse, who hides behind her once he sees the older woman's razor sharp teeth that could both blind him and eat him alive at the same time.

"Have a safe flight," the woman purrs, throwing in a wink for good measure.

"Thank you," Beca spats, yanking back the passes and grabbing Jesse's hand to go through the jet bridge. She rolls her eyes as she walks past the annoying hag's face, feeling Jesse jump from behind her not long after. She turns to him questioningly, arching a brow at his grimace.

"She just pinched my butt." His frightened expression causes her to snort. "Isn't that sexual harassment or underage assault? She's like forty-five, for Pete's sake." With wrinkles, but a damn good rack, even Beca has to admit.

"I could go get security if you want; I'm sure you feel like your personal bubble's just been violated," Beca says mockingly. "Or I could take care of her myself," she smirks.

"No more prison for you, thanks," Jesse grabs her hips to steer her forward. "Don't need you turning more badass than you already are." He shakes his head at Beca's smug smile.

They reach the inside of the plane and find their seats soon; a row of three off to the side. They stuff their carry-ons into the bin on top, then Beca trips Jesse to get to the window seat, laughing at his indignant yelp and ignoring the looks of the other passengers. Her nerd retaliates by effortlessly picking her up from the seat - no matter how hard she tries to hold on to the edge - and placing her in the middle one. Jesse chuckles at her irritated huff. "Sorry, but you lost the coin toss, and fair is fair. Sore loser," he mumbles jokingly as he lifts the arm rest between them and tugs on one of her curls.

"Well if a weirdo sits next to me, we have to switch," Beca states firmly, turning to glare at Jesse when he shakes his head and gives her an 'apologetic' shrug.

"Oh, good. I thought I'd lost you," a voice says to their left. Beca and Jesse glance up at the doe-eyed girl who'd affirmed her love for Pringles and M&Ms (except the red ones) earlier in line.

"Uh, hi," Beca tries to smile; except it comes out more like an annoyed grimace.

"Hi," the bubbly blonde says, plopping down onto the seat next to Beca. "I have the seat next to yours. Isn't that great? It's like fate," she nods firmly. She starts rummaging through her bag and takes out a microscope, a small notebook, and a pen.

Beca looks back at Jesse, who's watching the girl with furrowed brows, and then turns to face her again, jumping back into Jesse's chest when she finds the blonde _millimeters _away from her face. "Awesome," Beca says weakly.

The girl sits back and smiles. "I'm Anna," she holds her hand out. Beca cautiously reaches out to shake it, startling when Anna pulls her forward and looks at her expectantly.

"I'm Beca," she says a bit frightened. She can feel Jesse gripping her waist from the side, staring wide-eyed at the blonde who's just gotten a bit too close and personal.

"Awesome," Anna grins. She looks around at Jesse, eying him inquisitively. "Are you going to order those Pringles now?" she asks.

Beca and Jesse gap at her as she stares back at them calmly. They cave in first, because the girl _does not look away._ "Sure," he drawls unsurely. "Would you like some?" Jesse asks politely, looking at her questioningly.

"That would be nice," Anna replies, turning back to Beca. "Do you know what the name Anna means? It…" She then starts talking her ass off on her name's origins in Germany, Italy, Greece, and even Switzerland, while Beca just nods dazedly and waits for the damn seatbelt sign to go on.

"How long is this flight?" she whispers to Jesse; making sure not to alert Anna who's on a rampage.

"Two hours and forty minutes," Anna pipes up. _Nevermind._ "I looked it up. The distance from LA, California to Vancouver, Canada is exactly 1080 miles and approximately, 1738 kilometers."

"Great," Beca says sarcastically, pinching Jesse when she hears him snicker. _He _should be the one sitting next to a stranger who doesn't know when to shut up. Beca sighs as she leans back into the seat, resting her head on Jesse's shoulder and closing her eyes to Anna's continued rambling. Minutes later, she feels him put her seatbelt on and half an hour later, she's passed out cold.

…

She's groggy when she wakes up, squinting up at Jesse's light snores and glancing down at his watch for the time. _Only thirty minutes to go. Good. _Beca's confused when she sees movement to her left and her eyes pop wide open when she remembers the much too forward blonde. Looking to the side, she does _not_ expect to see Anna scribbling in her notebook and scrutinizing her _boobs _with a damn _microscope._

"_What are you doing?"_ Beca hisses as she pushes away the instrument from her chest.

"Are they real?" Anna asks bluntly. Beca crosses her arms over her girls to try and steer Anna's gaze away from them.

"Yes," she snaps. "They are real. Now do you _mind?"_

"Of course not," Anna waves her hand dismissively. "Please, continue your nap. I'll be done in a moment," she says nonchalantly while Beca gaps at her.

"_Dude, no!"_

* * *

_7:16 p.m. _

She couldn't have made it out of that plane fast enough.

Beca proceeds to rush through the process of picking up their baggage, dragging Jesse by the arm and aiming kicks at his shin whenever she catches him laughing quietly at her expense.

"Never again," she grits her teeth.

"We never even got Anna her Pringles," Jesse says faux-somberly, chuckling when she glares at him.

"You now owe me for life. The airplane window seat is _mine,_" Beca points her finger threateningly at him.

Jesse grabs the tiny, little digit in his hand and kisses her forehead. "Deal. But you have to admit it was kind of funny-"

"What are you talking about? She tried to follow me into the _bathroom_, Jesse!" She throws her hands up in the air exasperatedly.

Jesse winces, "Okay. I'll give you that. It was definitely…awkward." Beca huffs and readjusts her scarf with a scowl. "How about a juice pouch? To cheer you up," he jokes. Two minutes later, he's still rubbing the pain away in his arm from her painful punch.

They're almost out of the baggage claim when they hear a voice call Beca's name from a few feet away. "It's her! Run, Jesse," Beca hisses as she pulls on his hand desperately. Jesse snorts and deliberately drags his feet. He loves to annoy her.

"Hey!" Anna runs up to them, blocking their way out of the airport. "I just wanted to give you my number. You were great for my research, so if you ever need a favor, just call," she winks maniacally at Beca, who's now red in the face and doesn't look at her as she takes the business card. Anna turns to face Jesse when she hears him chuckling. "And you! What happened to my Pringles?" she asks, blinking owlishly at Jesse's surprised face. Anna heaves a sigh when he doesn't answer and reaches over to pat his chest. "It's okay, they're bad for the cardiac muscles, anyway- hey. What do you have in there? It's like a small b-"

"Okay! Here!" Jesse says frantically as he pushes her hand off his chest pocket and reaches into his jeans to thrust a few coins into her hands. "Here's some Canadian dollars. Buy yourself as many Pringles as you want!" He grabs Beca's hand and rushes forward with their bags, ignoring Anna who waves at them and skips away happily.

"Ha! So now you felt the weirdness!" Beca snickers at him, making him roll his eyes.

"It doesn't matter. We're never going to see bug-eyed Barbie again," Jesse affirms as he puts on his black beanie to protect his head against the cold. "Put on your coat; it's freezing out there."

"Aww," Beca coos. "You look adorbs," she says, imitating Chloe and putting on her gloves.

Jesse grins, "I know. You lucky woman."

"What is that?" Beca snorts as she eyes the black fabric eating his hands.

"They're called mittens, Bec," Jesse scoffs.

"And _why _are you wearing them? Are you an Arctic explorer or something? Those things have been outdated for a while, weirdo."

"For your information, mittens work much better against the cold than gloves do; which is why I brought a pair for you, too. You're welcome, darling."

"I'm fine, thanks," Beca winces. "Okay, so how are we gonna get to this 'romantic location' you've been raving about," she says, adding in air quotes.

Jesse smiles at her, "Rented a car; it should be outside. We'll head over there now."

"Now?" Beca raises an eyebrow, looking toward the slide doors. "It's dark, Jesse. And cold. And isn't it supposed to be in the middle of nowhere or something?"

"It's in a forest," he says, reaching over to cover Beca's curls in a woolen hat and ignoring her small 'oomph'. "Up North. I'll drive and you can take a nap or something."

Beca sighs, "I'm not tired. But fine, nerd. Let's get going."

* * *

_9:37 p.m. _

"I spy…"

"No."

"Come on, Bec. Just one more. I spy…"

"Trees. Ice. Darkness."

"I don't think you get the point of this game."

"I wasn't playing. I was describing our relationship."

"So we're as strong as the roots of nature. Your heart freezes in time with mine. You feel the pull of my dark eyes."

"Nope. Not what I meant at all," she deadpans. "Turn up the heater, please. It's cold," Beca says, burrowing herself deeper into her coat.

"Mittens," Jesse sing songs as he turns up the dial, causing Beca to roll her eyes.

"How can you even drive with those things?"

"It not as uncomfortable as you thi-" but he's cut off by a clank and a shriek. "Wha-"

These are the sounds of an engine dying.

Jesse can only gap at the icy road through the windshield as the car jerks and sputters and then… stops. They stay staring at the inside of the now useless vehicle for a few minutes.

And so now they're stranded. _Perfect._

"You have got to be kidding me," he hears Beca mutter from beside him.

"This can't be happening," Jesse groans, resisting the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel. "It's a Toyota! Aren't they supposed to be reliable?! What happened to _Taking you Places; Moving You Forward_?!"

"No cellphone service, either," Beca mumbles, checking her cellphone. She gasps as she feels a rush of cold air stab the side of her face. "Jesse, no! Get back in here! It's freezing!" She shouts at him through the glass.

"I'll only be a minute! Maybe I can fix it!" He pops the hood up and stares at its contents. Okay, so maybe watching _The Fast and Furious _doesn't automatically make him an expert on cars.

From inside of the car, Beca scowls as she hits the heater dial multiple times, trying to make it come back to life. "No," she moans. A few minutes later, she scoots all the way to the side of her seat to try and avoid frostbite as Jesse opens the car door and quickly gets in.

"Nothing," he shivers, trying to rub feeling back unto his nose. "That rental company's going down."

"We'll just have to wait it out. Maybe someone will drive by," Beca says unsurely, glancing through the frosted windshield at the dark woods outside.

"I'm sorry, Bec," Jesse gloomily.

Beca frowns, "Why? Did you do this on purpose to murder me and bury my body where no one will find it, or something?" She jokes as he smiles sadly at her. "Hey," she says softly, reaching over to kiss his red nose. "It's okay. We can warm each other up," she smirks and he laughs as he kisses her lips.

* * *

_December 24__th__ - 1:10 a.m._

"Please tell me Aubrey didn't say that."

"She did," he says amused. "Bumper didn't go out for _weeks _afterwards. And he never wore them again. Why are you smirking? He was deeply wounded, I'll have you know. The idea that his ass looked 'fat' in men's yoga pants really lowered his self-esteem."

"I still don't believe him. There is no way 'yoga pants for men' really exists. And they wouldn't be that tight."

"It's better to just go along with whatever he says. You won't hear the end of it, otherwise," Jesse says as he plays with one of Beca's curls.

Beca reaches up to poke his still red nose, but then stops and frowns at the pink blob covering her hand. "I hate these," she grumbles. "And I hate you for getting me pink."

"I think they look cute," Jesse grins smugly. "They're tiny and adorable; like you." He chuckles when Beca sticks her tongue out at him. "Well, if you really hate them, you could always put your gloves back on…"

She purses her lips. "No…they're keeping me warm," Beca mumbles.

Jesse sighs against her hair, "I wish it wasn't so damn cold, but at least it's not snow. Maybe it's a bad thing the weather in LA's so mild. We're never gonna get used to this." He wraps the blanket they'd brought in one of their carry-ons (thanks to Beca refusing to use the ones on the plane) tighter around them.

"At least we smuggled some alcohol from the plane," Beca smirks up at him drowsily from her position on his chest, the two of them sprawled out across the backseat. "Thank you, Jack and Baileys."

"Speaking of which, I'm getting sleepy. Maybe we can get some rest, after all. I'll go out and try to call someone in the morning," Jesse says as he tries to inconspicuously move her hand anywhere other than his chest pocket.

"We're in the middle of nowhere, nerd; I doubt you'll get a signal. We'll probably have to walk and get the adventure of our lives," she utters sleepily, and a bit sarcastically, as she buries her face in his neck.

"And get frostbite? No thanks. I'll figure it out, Bec. You'll see," he gives a small shiver when the tip of her nose touches his skin and leans his head back onto their makeshift pillow.

_He'll fix this in the morning._

_He will._

* * *

_9:26 a.m._

Beca wakes up to a blast of cold air from the front seat, groaning and groggily squinting up at the daylight coming in through the car window.

"Hey," Jesse's head pops into her line of vision and he smiles nervously.

"Hey yourself," Beca rubs her eyes. "What were you doing outside?"

"Calling for help."

Beca sits up alarmingly quick. "You got a signal?" She frowns as her vision blurs. _Damn mix of almost hangover and freezing to death. _

"Yup," Jesse drawls, popping the 'p'. "Took me almost an hour and a half, but I got it. And I called…"

"Oh thank you A-ca Gods," _Don't judge her. _"When's AAA getting here? Or whatever its Canadian version is called." Jesse's sudden sheepish expression makes her backtrack. "What?" she asks slowly.

"Okay, so see…I was literally holding up the phone like a lunatic, trying to get a signal, but it just wasn't coming. I even tried to climb a tree, which was just stupid, because they're huge and I got injured, Beca. And when it finally came, it lasted for about three seconds. So then I went nuts, trying to get the signal back and I was nervous, you know? So I just grabbed the first number I had and called them, which was smart because the signal went away again after only a minute. But I had time to make the call…" he trails off at her perplexed stare. "Remember that number you gave me to throw away?"

"Oh God, Jesse. Who did you call?" Beca asks nervously.

* * *

_1:54 p.m._

"This is fate."

Beca wants to bang her head against the back of the front seat, but that would be rude. She pointedly ignores Jesse's apologetic gaze on the side of her face, crossing her arms when he tries to reach for her hand. "Thank you for picking us up, Anna," she says resignedly. "You really didn't have to. Really."

Anna shakes her head and keeps her eyes fixated on Beca's reflection in the rear view mirror. "It's no problem. Now we can continue my research. So…were they always so perfectly rounded? When did they stop growing?"

"Oh my God," Beca groans into her hand.

"Uh…no offense or anything, but why are you so interested in my girlfriend's breats?" Jesse asks confoundedly.

"You're not helping," Beca hisses at him.

"Didn't you read my card? I'm a plastic surgeon. Well, almost. I'm in training. But I have the highest GPA and top scores among my colleagues," Anna states proudly. "I'm going to be world-known. So, I'm traveling and searching for great pairs."

"Of breasts," Jesse deadpans.

"Duh."

Beca lifts her face from her hands and glances at Anna's reflection. "That's..." she begins. "Really nice, actually. Wow…thank you."

"No, thank you," Anna nods. "You're going to help so many women."

Jesse glances at Beca and balks at her flattered smile. "Seriously? She's been sexually harassing you and you're now okay with it, because she said you have great boobs?" He flinches when Beca's head turns to glare at him.

"Do _you_ not think so?" She says in a deadly voice.

"I love your breasts," he nods quickly and efficiently. "They're the only ones I look at. What I think about day and night." Beca rolls her eyes at him.

"Speaking of which," Anna says. "Can I take a sample?"

Beca and Jesse stare at her from the back in horror, the latter practically leaping across the seat to get to her, leaning over her breasts protectively. "Don't hurt them!" He shouts.

Beca stares at him incredulously, smacking him upside the head. "Thanks. Glad you care so much. _About my boobs._"

"Oh, sorry. Did I say sample? I meant picture," Anna shrugs. "Without the shirt, of course."

"I'd rather not," Beca says uncomfortably and Jesse nods in agreement.

_This is a weird day._

* * *

_4:21 p.m._

"Again, thank you," Jesse says as he takes out the last suitcase from the car trunk. Anna waves her hand dismissively at him and smiles.

"Have a great time. This is a great resort; it's highly recommended for tourists."

"Yeah," Jesse grins proudly. "It's going to be great."

Anna looks back to make sure Beca's busy arranging their bags and leans into Jesse's ear. "Whatever you do, don't propose in the shower. Too many accidents," she nods seriously.

"I…wasn't planning to," he replies slowly. "But thanks, I guess."

Anna sprints over to Beca, pulling her in for a tight hug. "It was great meeting you! And remember! You have amazing breasts. Thank the heavens they were given to you," Anna gazes intently at her, while Jesse glares at the bag-carrier now ogling his girlfriend, having heard the conversation.

"Okay," Beca says weakly. "Awesome, thanks." Anna hugs her once more before heading over to her car. Jesse walks up next to Beca and tugs on her scarf to get her attention. "I swear I heard a flash. I think she took a picture of my cleavage," Beca looks up at him skeptically.

"Let's have this conversation somewhere else," Jesse says tightly while eying the stunned middle-aged man trying not to drop their bags in surprise. "Come on. We just have to check in and then a car will take us a few ways over, where the cabin is."

"Wow, you went all out, nerd," Beca smirks as she leans into him. "Why's the cabin so far from the main center, though?"

"For privacy. They're all at a bit of a far distance from each other. So it really does feel like you're in the middle of nowhere," Jesse says and then winces. "Though, that didn't work out so well the first time for us."

"It'll be fine," Beca says. "We can't have that much bad luck…though I probably just jinxed it."

* * *

_5:01 p.m. _

"This is amazing," Beca looks around at the interior design. Oakwood, brown leather couch, fireplace. Modern, yet cozy. _Ugh, she sounds like Aubrey. _And the bedroom. "I've missed beds. Never sleeping in a car again." And the bathroom. The freaking bathroom. "Look at the shower in this place! It's huge!"

"Yeah," Jesse calls into the room. "It's pretty great." He looks around the hallway outside their bedroom, making sure everything's in order. He takes deep breaths as he feels his heart begin to pound.

_Shit. I'm not supposed to get nervous, yet. Shit._

Jesse tries to put on a calm smile as he walks into their bedroom, finding Beca enjoying the view through the slide doors. She turns to face him as she hears him come in and runs up to throw her arms around his neck and wrap her legs around his waist; he catches her easily. "Thank you," She murmurs against his mouth. "You were right. This is amazing. Let's have sex."

"Already?" Jesse chuckles, shuffling backwards as she jumps down and pushes him towards the bed. "Aren't I supposed to romance you first?"

"Later," Beca says as she shrugs off her coat, getting rid of all the rest of the winter gear in the process. "Take off your clothes, nerd. Time to reward you."

"Got it." It's amazing how long it takes to cover yourself from head to toe in mittens, a scarf, hat, and multiple layers of clothing, and how it only takes a second to get rid of all of them.

* * *

_8:03 p.m._

"Merry Christmas Eve, nerd," she mumbles against his cheek. He adjusts their position on the couch to lay them both down more comfortably, whispering his response across her temple.

_Okay, now._

…_Now._

_No, now._

_Right. You said that five minutes ago. And ten. And twenty. And, oh crap._

Jesse utters a small, frustrated sigh as he gazes steadily at the flickering flames illuminating his face from the fireplace. Beca hears and looks up at him. "Everything okay?" He just nods and rests his nose on the crown of her head.

_Now. _

…_Damn it._

Jesse takes a deep breath. Okay, now. "Beca," he begins shakily.

But before he can continue, a sharp movement to his left catches his attention. He sits up, startling Beca and glancing around the living room. He could've sworn-

"Holy shit!"

Jesse's head snaps to look in the direction Beca's finger is pointing frantically at, jumping in shock at seeing a damn huge, black squirrel. _A squirrel. A wild squirrel. _

"Okay," Jesse begins slowly, taking shallow breaths. "Let's just stay calm. And. Not. Move." He and Beca stay still, very still, staring at the furry creature that's looking around curiously and then it sets an eye on them. And they swear it's looking. Right. At. Them.

"Jesse," Beca whispers, because squirrels are smart and they always listen. "Do something," she grips the sleeve of his shirt tightly.

"I thought you were the badass in the relationship," Jesse says quietly through gritted teeth.

"Not funny," Beca says tensely. "You're the man. Do. Something." She prods him in the side repeatedly until he gets up carefully, trying not to alert the squirrel. He sees a storage closet off to the side, and so thinking it's his best chance at finding a possible weapon, he moves towards it. By the time he's slowly opened the door and taken out an old broom, he thinks it's safe to say they can get away with this one.

Unfortunately, given the recent circumstances and difficulties, he should've known better. Luck is not on his side. The vase that crashes to the floor when the end of the wooden stick accidentally knocks it over and sets the squirrel on a rampage can attest to that.

"Oh my God!"

"Hit it! Hit it!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!"

"Give me that!"

"No- Ouch"

"Don't let it get to the bedroom!"

"Cover it with the blanket!"

"Watch out- no!"

And that's where the fire comes in.

"You missed!"

"You think?!"

"Put it out!"

"Right, I'm sorry! Let me just use my voodoo powers! Woosh!"

"Idiot."

"There it is! Open the door!"

"Get it out! Get it out!"

"Thank God. It's gone."

"Jesse?"

"Yeah, Bec?"

"THE BLANKET?!"

"Oh, shit!"

"Water! Bucket! Grab the bucket!"

"More!"

"No, wait! Don-"

* * *

_8:55 p.m._

They stare unseeingly at the empty fireplace, resting side by side on the floor, their backs against the couch. Jesse frowns at the splinter in his thumb, trying to gently pull it out. He looks over and sees Beca dazedly playing with the ends of her wet curls. Jesse winces as he glances around at the living room, seeing the knocked over loveseat, the bucket lying on the floor, the ruined blanket. He sighs and leans his head back onto the soft cushion as he looks out the window.

_Huh._

"Hey, Bec," he says softly, seeing her look at him from the corner of his eye. "Snowfall. An early one. The only perfectly cliché thing meant to happen, I guess."

Jesse snaps his head to her in alarm when he sees her shoulders start shaking. He can only watch helplessly as she starts sobbing, or at least, they sound like sobs. "Beca, I'm sorry," Jesse panics, but stops once she shakes her head at him.

He's relieved to find a smile on her face when she turns to face him, even if there are also tears. She starts laughing loudly and so hard, more tears start falling. Jesse stares in wonder and then promptly follows her into happy oblivion.

After a good ten minutes of trying to stop and then starting all over again, they rest on the floor, exhausted and chests heaving.

Jesse turns his head to the side to watch her as she catches her breath, tangling his fingers with hers and getting that warm feeling in his stomach when she smiles over at him.

"God, I love you," Beca grins.

"You do?" Jesse smiles back weakly.

"Yes," Beca tells him, positive as hell. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you," she says, not an ounce of doubt in her tone.

The smile on Jesse's face dims as he stares back at her, watching her steadily.

"So can you ask me already?" She smiles shyly.

Jesse gulps and lets out a breathless laugh. He leans up on his elbow and brings his hand to her cheek, smiling when she grips it with her own. "Beca. Will you marry me?"

"Yes nerd, I will. Like you ever needed to ask. You're such a weirdo," she gives a happy sob and then tries to cover it up with a smirk.

Jesse leans in to kiss her, but then pulls back quickly, chuckling at her almost pout. "The ring! You made me forego my speech, but I have to do something right," he smiles as he reaches into his pants' pocket, pulling out the black box that's been haunting him for months.

Beca purses her lips at the expensive detailing on the box, giving him a look and wondering about the ring inside. "The box is flashier than the ring, promise," he says as he flips it open.

And it's perfect. Beca eagerly reaches for the simple, platinum round ring, with a modest diamond (if a diamond can be modest) at the center. "I hate you, nerd," she whispers, lacking any conviction. "No, no I don't. It's perfect," she says as he slides it onto her left hand. "Now kiss me."

"So bossy. Is this what married life is going to be like?" Jesse jokes.

Beca glares, but the act doesn't achieve its usual level of scariness because of the freaking smile she can't keep off her face. "Yup. Now kis-" and she's happily cut off by his lips.

* * *

So yes, the world is against him. It will mock him and his plans, purposefully throw obstacles in his way that cannot be dealt with as easily as in movies, and try to unravel him as often as possible.

But he's been given a great compensation.

His weirdo. Well, more accurately, his fiancée.

* * *

_I like torturing Beca and Jesse a bit too much. Oh, God._

_How was it? _

_p.s. Did you guys like Anna? She came out of nowhere. But I love her and her lack of understanding boundaries...and personal space._


	7. Our Refugee Weirdo Gang (Part II)

"_The," _Unicycle drags out and takes a deep breath. _"Wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round," _

"We're not even on a bus!"

"Shut up! I can sing what I want!"

This is followed by five minutes of glaring and a curly head's constant bobbing in addition to the lyrics being sung obnoxiously loud from the Treble's mouth.

"_Beca,"_ Stacie whines. "Tell him to _shut up_. He's distracting the driver," she scoffs at the face sticking its tongue out at her through the rearview mirror. "And now he's being rude!"

"Guys," Jesse groans. "I thought we'd agreed to keep the arguing to a minimum." He looks warily to his side, where his very annoyed girlfriend's currently grinding her teeth and rubbing her temples.

"Amy? Uh…where are these stains from?" Benji asks confusedly from the backseat next to Uni. "I know some detergent tricks if you'd like them."

Fat Amy stops messing with the radio and looks over her shoulder toward the back of the jeep. "Oh, those. Yeah, no. They're never coming out." She has a somber look on her face, one that hides deep secrets. Which is worrying because Amy shares everything. _Everything. _

"You sure? Because I'm really good with-"

"Trust me. They're _permanent_."

Unicycle huffs and throws his hands up in the air. "Can't we do _something_ fun?" He resists the urge to kick out his legs childishly. "We've been driving for _hours_. This isn't cool anymore!"

"Oh sorry," Jesse replies dryly. "Did you think being a refugee would be like camping out at the beach and playing hooky for the rest of our days?" He asks as his fingers gently massage the back of Beca's neck.

"Well, yeah-"

"You're so stupid," Stacie snaps back at Unicycle, who glowers. "Being a refugee isn't fun. It's serious stuff. Which is why I have it all planned out." This worries most of the individuals in the car since they have no clue where Stacie could possibly be taking them.

"I'm not _stupid. You're _the stupid one-"

"Can't we all just get along?" Benji cuts in worriedly as he fiddles with his stack of cards. "I know! Let's play a nice game. Like…_I spy!"_

Jesse perks up. "I love that game!" He looks down excitedly at Beca and frowns when he only receives a shake of the head. "Come on, Bec. It'll be fun."

"That's what you said about this _trip_," she reminds him with her 'I hate the world' glare.

Jesse gives her a sheepish smile and his arm reaches out to pull her into his side. "I spy…" he murmurs, ignoring her roll of the eyes. "Someone stubborn."

"I spy a nerd," Beca shoots back.

"I spy an ear spike."

"I spy a movie weirdo who promises 'fun' trips with other annoying weirdos all stuck in an ostentatious jeep covered in suspicious stains." She receives several blinks.

"…I spy nothing. Because you're so tiny, I can barely see you at all."

"Idiot."

"Well, that wasn't exactly what I meant," Benji nods slowly. "But it sounded…fun?" He looks over to see if Unicycle agrees, but the latter is too busy inhaling the last burger from the huge McDonalds bag they bought almost two hours ago. "Hey! That's mine!" As sweet as Benji is, he does not forgive stolen food indiscretions easily.

Curious eyes look back to see what the commotion is all about; Benji and Unicycle wrestling over the Big Mac each and every one of them had considered rightfully theirs. And hunger? Well, it can drive people mad.

And it drives crazy people even crazier.

* * *

_Twelve minutes later_

The silence in the confined space is unnerving. The cliché sound of chirping crickets can easily fit into the tension-filled environment. Normally, Beca would be happy with the sudden and peaceful quiet, but Jesse's not looking at her and the stiff car seat is too uncomfortable for a nap; she misses his shoulder.

She directs her gaze toward the front, where Stacie grips the steering wheel with her right hand and pouts at the broken nail on her left one, all the while barely keeping an eye on the road, and Amy continues to pick out lettuce and pickles from inside her cleavage. Beca then looks over her shoulder to see Benji sulkily sipping the coke he'd won fair and square (fought to the almost death, that one), and Unicycle checking his reflection in a small mirror, one he refuses to leave the house without, trying to rub the dried ketchup from his face.

Beca sighs as she faces forward again and sneaks a peek at her nerd, who's scowling out the car window. She squirms and tightens her hold on her prize. He would just have to deal. Her hair had almost been pulled out for this greasy food; she deserves it. She is _not _sharing.

A minute later, the salty and delicious crunch of the fried potato becomes bitter in her mouth. Beca purses her lips and resists the urge to look over at him. She keeps chewing. And chewing.

Still bitter. _Ugh._

She turns to face the back of his head and reaches out to tap his shoulder. Jesse barely glances back at her and it makes her frown grumpily. Beca hastily grabs a fry to smack it onto his cheek. "Here," she hisses in a quiet whisper. "You can have a fry. One."

"Don't want it," she hears him mumble.

"What," Beca gapes at him. "You have got to be-" She doesn't know what makes her do it, but she can't say she regrets it.

"Beca!" Jesse jumps about a foot in the air when he feels a multitude of French fries slide down his back. "Beca! I can't believe you jus-"

"Well, you were being ungrateful! I offered you my _fries_, Jesse!" She grabs another handful to put down his shirt. "And you refused!" He grabs her hand with lightning-fast reflexes, starting a tug of war as he and Beca both begin to push and pull.

"Found it!" They faintly hear Unicycle yell from the back as he lifts the once lost patty from under his car seat. At this news, Fat Amy turns to stare wide-eyed at him. She utters her signature war cry and launches herself across the tangled couple to get to the curly mob of hair waving _her _precious food around victoriously.

And World War III commences.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later_

"You're lucky I have insurance or else you'd be dead dingo meat," Fat Amy tells Stacie as she stares at her Jeep's smashed hood.

Stacie gasps indignantly and glares at her. "Hey! You're the one who decided to go full on attack mode. You distracted me! And that tree came out of nowhere, I swear!" She whips out her trusty companion and sniffles as she starts to file away at the now unsalvageable nail.

The two Bellas turn to their left as they hear a distressed moan. "What are we going to do?" Unicycle whines from his spot on the floor as he rocks back and forth.

"They got Jesse and Beca!" Benji shouts from somewhere behind them. "I can't find them anywhere," he pants. "The school administration probably noticed we went missing and now they know what we did! And they came looking for us and now the dean probably has them in custody! We have to save them, we have to-"

"They're right there," Stacie points out dryly when she spots the couple walking towards them with mussed up hair and rumpled clothes. "Back from making up." At the sight of them, Benji stops running around in circles and falls to the floor in relief. "By the way, you guys never did tell us what you did."

"To protect you," Jesse affirms as he wraps an arm around Beca's waist, the latter of whom gives a snort in response.

"Right," Fat Amy drawls. "Is it stupid? Or is it actually cool?"

"It's pretty cool actually," Jesse replies, rocking back on his heels. "See, thing is…"

Unicycle jumps up to cut him off. "I wanna tell it!" Jesse gestures at him to go ahead. "Okay, so Benji and I were hanging around at the admissions office, just minding our own business, when his _dove _suddenly turns into two, I don't know how!" He points furiously at Benji, who has a proud look on his face. "And then they turned into three, and I freaked out 'cause that's too much bird for me – I mean, I couldn't even watch Sesame Street as a kid because Big Bird scared the shit out of me and he still does. And it's actually very traumatic because I never got to experience that childhood happiness that Elmo graced every kid with, because Big Bird took that away from me-"

"Okay," Benji snaps. "You've gotten completely off topic. The point is, my doves pooped in the dean's office and so now we're screwed." He blinks when everyone turns to look at him in surprise. "I'm sorry," Benji cringes. "I'm in a bad mood because I'm hungry. Sorry."

Beca waves him off and arches an eyebrow at the three males. "You guys freaked out…because of bird poop?" She hears Fat Amy and Stacie start to snicker. "Why are you two laughing? We're in the middle of nowhere with a crashed car and no food because these three freaked over _bird poop_."

"Not in the middle of _nowhere_ exactly," Fat Amy says. "There's an Ashley Furniture right over there. The one with the man glaring at us from the slide doors. But no worries, Fat Amy will protect all of you. As long as it doesn't involve cardio."

"Oh don't worry," Jesse tells her calmly. "He's probably just angry because Bec and I fooled around on one of the mattresses on sale." He winces when Beca slaps him upside the head.

Stacie winks at them and nods approvingly. "At least _someone_ got some. I haven't had sex in over… in like, hours." The rest of them look at her incredulously. "What? I'm proud of my active sex life and the flexibility it's taught me. The ability helps at Madame Silk."

Unicycle balks. "What the hell is Madame Silk?"

"The unisex strip club we were going to, duh," Stacie scoffs. "How else did you think we were going to make a living? That club could've been our salvation."

"Well, now I'm glad we crashed," Benji mutters.

Jesse rubs the bridge of his nose. "Enough of this. What the hell are we going to do now?"

"I don't know about you," Beca says dryly. "But I'm heading back to Barden."

"And how are you going to manage that?" Jesse crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow.

Beca gives him a self-satisfied grin and reaches into her pocket for her cellphone. "By calling a cab," she frowns as she keeps searching. "Where's my…" she trails off as she sees Jesse look up innocently at the sky. "Jesse," Beca says sharply through gritted teeth. "Give me my cellphone."

"I would," Jesse responds slowly. "But you said you'd hold out 'til the weekend. So… No."

"You don't even have a plan!" Beca throws her head back exasperatedly. "Where else are we supposed to go from here?" She taps her foot impatiently when everyone else starts to look unsure as they search for possible answers in their head.

"I know!" Unicycle shouts suddenly, making the rest of them jump. _"I know."_

* * *

_Hi! For once, I have nothing to blab about. _

_Review?_


	8. Take a Breather

Okay, I've disappeared for over a month. I blame life.

Sorry if you were expecting the third part to the road trip, but I'll continue that in the next chapter. For now, enjoy this idea that popped into my head and I hope you don't completely hate it...?

* * *

_At age 29, overly bitter and a two-time divorc__é__e, Beca Mitchell isn't exactly a "catch". Now if only Ex-Husband the Second would accept that. _

_..._

There are certain situations that you'd do anything, _anything_, to get out of.

It's not the _why _that's important; it's the _how_.

The _how_, however, is quite near impossible, if you consider the four walls surrounding her. The one on the opposite side of the room is made entirely of glass, and she almost wants to run head on and break through it; anything to get some air and get rid of the weight in her chest that's not letting her breathe properly.

Because in between every breath, her throat burns. Add in the lump there that won't go away, and say goodbye to her professional, admittedly cold, exterior.

The worst part is, the walls caging her in aren't the main obstacle.

First, there's A: Rafael Mason, her once highly regarded and well-liked boss, who is now dead to her.

And B: Ex-husband number two over there, whose mouth is busy chatting away with boss man, charming his way into Mason's pants, while his eyes, exactly the same as she remembered, currently bore into the side of her face.

Her throat feels parched. But her glass is empty. Not such a surprise really, since she just about chugged the water down the moment she had sat in her chair.

"This is sure to go well with the two of you," Mason claps his hands together delightedly, either completely unaware of the tension in the room, or choosing to ignore it wholeheartedly. If Beca knows this man, and she does, she can assure you that it's the second. "I know I can always count on Beca for a great production and I look forward to your work as well, Mr. Swanson. I've heard many good things about you, and of course, your reputation precedes you." The dark-haired, middle-aged man gives them both a nod and a smile as he starts gathering his things.

Beca immediately stands to follow his lead, but freezes once she sees him raise an eyebrow at her. "I'd prefer it if you'd take some time to acquaint yourself with Mr. Swanson, Beca. After all, you will be spending most of your time with him from now on." He beams at her like a five year old and proceeds to make his way out of the conference room, throwing in a not-so-discreet wink when he walks past her chair.

That's it. She now hates her boss. Raf just lost all brownie points in his favor.

Aw, hell. She'll forgive him on Monday when he greets her with that wrinkled grin and her favorite brand of coffee.

Beca slumps back down into her chair, her defeated form trying to adjust itself as casually as possible.

The room is basked in silence as soon as the door shuts close, and Beca takes the time to force herself to take deep breaths, counting down the seconds 'til he decides to interrupt the quiet peace.

A minute passes and she sits, back rigid and eyes fixed steadfastly on her file folder. He has to be the one to talk first.

She waits.

"Makes sense for you to work here," he finally attempts in a casual tone of voice, and her body sags in relief. He looks around the room, taking in the information boards and framed discs on the wall. "I got a tour of the place earlier. It's a lot like your recording studio back home."

She bites her lip hard.

"I'm glad you're still doing what you love. And your boss seems to really admire you; he's a nice guy. Though I guess you must miss being your own boss," he rambles. "But you- You look happy."

Now she knows he's just grasping at straws to make conversation.

Because she's not. She's not happy. And she knows he can tell.

Her gaze rests on her files, but she can still feel him shift nervously. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him run his hand through his hair as he contemplates what to say next.

"I knew you'd be here."

Beca purses her lips. She pales.

"Beca," he starts. "This has gone on long enough. When are you coming home?" Then he winces, like the words came out of their own accord. Maybe they did.

But that doesn't reduce the pain of what feels like a bullet going through her chest.

_Home._ The word makes her want to bark out a bitter laugh and leave the room immediately. But that would hurt him. And it's not fair for her to keep doing that.

She closes her eyes tightly for a second before opening her mouth to answer, the first word coming out in such a dry croak, she has to clear her throat and start again.

"Your home isn't my home anymore, Jesse." Saying his name feels more liberating than she'd expected. It's the sentence attached that she could do without.

Her eyes flit up to look at his face, because she just can't resist the urge anymore. The fact that his stare is fixed so intently on her isn't exactly surprising, but she can still feel herself start slightly.

"Then what is?" Jesse asks, still staring.

Simple. She doesn't have one. This company isn't it, even though she spends more time here than anywhere else. Her condo sure as hell isn't it, with the high ceilings and extra rooms, the much too large kitchen (she doesn't even cook) and the excessive space she barely uses. She's pretty sure there are places she's never even set a foot in.

Jesse leans forward and reaches for her hand across the table, trying to gain back her attention. "Beca? What is?" He asks insistently.

She snatches back her hand and resolutely ignores looking at him while doing so. "Why are you here, Jesse?"

_Why did you come here? Why would you want to see me again?_

He rubs his hand across his face, like talking to her is taking a physical toll on his body.

She doesn't blame him.

"For work," he tries.

"Bullshit," she hisses quietly. Her eyes look up to glare into his and he meets her there head on. "You said you knew I'd be here. How?"

His mouth quirks to the side and she knows the answer.

_Chloe._

Jesse shrugs once he sees the realization in her eyes. "I hadn't really thought of San Francisco; it didn't seem like your type of place. It was unexpected. But I don't regret buying a boarding ticket as soon as I found out." His brown eyes trail over her face, like he's taking the time to memorize each of her physical traits: the bridge of her nose, the curve of her eyebrow, her bottom lip, the lock of hair that's already come loose from her messy French chignon. She takes the time to observe him, too.

He's aged.

In almost two years, he looks like he's aged five. She's pretty sure it's her fault. His appearance looks fatigued, with dark circles under his eyes that look like they've been there forever. She has the same ones. But his eyes are the same, brown and just… _brown_, still. The glint in them is the same. The way they're looking at her right now, like they used to, is the same. And his hair is still better than hers. He may look haggard, a bit rough around the edges, but he's still the same.

She's another story. She's pretty sure she's aged ten. That's what it feels like when she drags herself out of bed in the morning. And when she works without drinking coffee beforehand.

She's aged. And Jesse… Jesse's always meant to be young. It's her fault he looks worn down. He's in his twenties; he's not supposed to carry this kind of weight with him.

That's on her.

"You shouldn't have come, Jesse." She scoots her chair back to stand up quickly.

His stare stops all movement from her. He takes a deep breath through his nose and speaks calmly, "I said I'd give you time, Bec. It's been two years-"

"Just barely-"

"That was time."

And she's angry.

Beca's hands smack down onto the wooden table. "Well then, I need more of it," she gets out through gritted teeth. "Because I'm not ready."

He stands up abruptly and she fights back the urge to sit down. He follows her lead, placing his hands in font of hers and leaning forward to meet her glare. "Then at least let me be there while you get ready," Jesse breathes.

"No," she croaks. "I'll never be ready, Jesse. Haven't you figured that out already?"

He shakes his head. "I don't believe that. If you'd only quit shutting me out, you wouldn't have to do this alone-"

"Stop. Pushing." Her face is red and her lips white from how tightly they're pressed together, the words barely getting out. "You don't understand-"

"Don't tell me I don't understand!" He shouts and she freezes. His eyes soften once he sees the expression on her face. She's not sure what it is, but he's never yelled at her before, so it must not be a good one.

"I understand, Beca," Jesse tries again, quietly this time. "I tried and tried to get through to you. I didn't give up, Beca. You did."

The conference room suddenly feels a lot smaller. The walls are closing in on her. She'll be crushed any second now.

Jesse looks determined. "I'm not letting you give up anymore." He holds her gaze.

She needs to do something. Anything to avoid getting crushed.

So she reverts back to the same ice cold shell of a person she's been for the past two years or so.

She plays the part well.

"We'll start recording on Monday," she says dryly as she looks away and gathers her files and purse. "Nine o'clock."

Beca doesn't look at him. She knows what she'd see. Disappoint and hurt clouding over; brown eyes turning black. The downturned twist of his lips; no dimples present. Clenched fists; because who wouldn't be angry with the way she's brushing him off?

She pauses at the door, hand ready to twist the knob for a fast escape in case he tries coming any closer.

He doesn't.

It takes less than a second for the back of her eyes to start burning as she realizes that he's not going to touch her unless she's ready. He's not going to take her into his arms and force her to accept what happened. He won't push her that way. He'll wait. For her.

After all this time, he still waits.

"I'm sorry, Jesse," Beca lets out in one short breath. "I am."

He'll tire out eventually.

* * *

"Holy shit."

"That's what I thought," she mutters. Literally the first words that had popped into her head the moment she'd walked into the room.

"Holy. Shit."

Beca sighs, "Yeah."

"Shit. _Shit._"

"Stacie," she frowns. "Can't you say anything else?"

"But _shit,_ Beca. _Shit._"

Beca rolls her eyes and looks down at her mug. She can feel Aubrey's steel-like gaze on her.

She waits.

"Will you tell us now?" The elegant blonde asks, trying to appear disinterested as she takes a small sip from her porcelain tea cup. Next to her, Stacie nods in agreement, raising perfectly plucked eyebrows at the brunette across from them who's carefully avoiding their gazes. "Come on, Beca. We can't help if we don't know what happened."

"It's not-" she clears her throat. She really needs to get a hold on this frog-like voice thing. "Not important." Beca winces into her mug as she hears Aubrey scoff.

"Freaking hell, Beca. Tell us. We've been friends for a long time now. And we barely know anything about you before San Francisco."

Stacie hums thoughtfully as she adjusts her top to showcase her cleavage. "That is true. Why'd you move here, anyway? It's a long way from LA."

Exactly why.

"Did you cheat on him?" Aubrey asks straightforwardly, ignoring Stacie when she turns to frown at her bluntness disapprovingly.

Beca's cup slams back down onto the counter top, the coffee sloshing against the sides dangerously. "No," she says not so calmly. Her glare threatens to bury Aubrey underneath the Earth's core.

The blonde bites her lip as she reaches over to place her hand over Beca's apologetically. "I didn't mean that, Beca. But you're… you're just so damn adamant on it not being his fault. I'm just trying to understand."

Stacie smiles at her consolingly.

Beca rests her forehead on the palm of her hand, leaning on the counter and releasing a breath as Aubrey gives her hand a hard squeeze. "I know," her shoulders sag in defeat as she smiles tightly at her friend.

The three women sit in silence for a bit, the only sound in the room being the clinks and clanks the cups make when placed back onto the counter. Stacie starts to twirl a strand of hair around her finger leisurely as she thinks about what to say next.

"Beca…" The picturesque model almost stops once she sees the woman in question glance up at her warily, her eyes almost pleading with her. Stacie decides to keep going. "Why'd you get a divorce?" She lets out in one breath.

A couple of more minutes pass with just clinks and clanks while Beca stays quiet.

"He wouldn't sign the papers at first."

Aubrey and Stacie almost lose the hold on their cups when they hear the soft voice.

Beca gives them a small smile as she shrugs. Her hand starts to trace the marble countertop and her eyes rest there. "He kept trying to talk me out of it. But I knew… I wasn't going to change my mind. When Jesse saw how convinced I was; how coldly I was ending our years together like they meant _nothing…_ He signed." Her voice breaks at the end.

It's not a day she can forget. Not the look on his face. Not the shaking hand. And definitely not the dead reflection staring back at her from the mirror once she'd gone back to Chloe's.

"My first divorce… it was stupid." Just thinking about it makes her want to snort out loud. "It was the typical Vegas nightmare and I was only twenty-one. You know the story. Got drunk, woke up in bed with a stranger and a ring on my finger." Stacie and Aubrey are leaning forward, intrigued, and Beca chuckles. "His name was Luke. And after a lot of screaming and pointing fingers, we decided to get an annulment. But like any typical cocky son of a bitch, he wanted to give us a shot." That was the climax of the story, really. And she had agreed, so she'd played her part, too.

"We're both attracted to each other. You're hot. I'm obviously hot. Why not?" Beca mocks in a deep voice, making Stacie snort with laughter as Aubrey shakes her head amusedly.

"We didn't even last a year," she deadpans. "It was like a really long fling, where the only highlight was the sex. We didn't even live together. Luke and I didn't have anything in common and we grew tired of each other fairly quick. By the time we decided to get the annulment, there were other more disastrous marriages waiting to do just that and since neither of us had enough for a personal lawyer, we decided to speed up the process and get a divorce. Just to get it over with. It took us three months, but we got it." She forces back a smirk as she remembers how the huge pressure had disappeared from her chest after signing. "We did it with smiles on our faces. And we parted ways like nothing. So… divorce numero uno, right there," she holds up one finger mockingly.

The smirk falls from her face as she gets ready to tell the next part of her story. Like a freaking soap opera. Her friends deflate from across the counter and stop chuckling when they see her eyes darken. "My second divorce… it was nothing like that. I met Jesse the following year. About three months before turning twenty-three. I remember because Chloe decided to invite him to my birthday for me," she rolls her eyes. "He serenaded me from the front seat, right on a stoplight like he had nothing better to do than sing to the stranger in the next car over, the weirdo." Her breath hitches.

She feels someone come over to her side and wrap an arm around her at the same time a hand grabs hers from across the counter. She doesn't bother to check who's who; just keeps tracing the floral design on the tabletop. "I saw him again at a pizza place two days later. And somehow, and I really have no idea how, he convinced me to give him my number. Something about it being inevitable," her voice fades out. She shakes her head and continues. "So we texted, and we called, but I would turn him down whenever he'd ask me out. Until Chloe found out. And then my birthday… and I don't know. All of a sudden we're dating and then I had this huge nerd of a boyfriend."

Stacie squeals quietly and Beca has to catch herself from falling off the stool. At least now she knows whose arm is wrapped around her; her eardrum may be a bit damaged. "So… we lasted. It was terrifying. I remember having this huge internal freak-out on the day of our third year anniversary. I didn't know how I had lasted that long with someone without feeling trapped or unhappy. I loved him." _And you still do._ "We were going to have this huge movie marathon. I remember I was relieved because I had never liked flashy settings or big celebrations and Jesse was the exact opposite. Sometimes, he made me like them, too," she mutters.

"But we decided to stay in that night. So I get ready to go into the living room, where he's waiting for me. I was planning on breaking up with him-" She resists the urge to roll her eyes as she hears Stacie's overdramatic gasp. "Not really, though. I just wanted to see if I had any will-power left. I was already too emotionally invested…" This had been proven even further once she'd seen his grin and forgotten all about her will power test. "He proposed. Found the ring in the huge bowl of popcorn," Beca smiles softly. "And I blurted out yes before he'd even finished asking. Like some kind of rom-com character," she huffs.

It's an embarrassing moment to look back on, but the grin is still hard to fight off. She looks down at the mark on her left ring finger. It's easy to imagine the ring she wears to bed each night, only to take back off in the morning.

Don't say it. She already knows she hasn't exactly come to terms with any of it. She shouldn't have even kept the ring. But he hadn't wanted to take it back.

"Got married at twenty-six; him at twenty-five," she states quietly, wanting to get the story over with. "At twenty-seven…" her finger stops tracing the design, only for her fist to clench until the knuckles turn white. "I… I got- " she bites her tongue and shakes her head.

"It's okay, Beca," Stacie looks confused but she rubs her back soothingly. "You don't have to keep going."

Aubrey looks at her worriedly from across and she knows she has to tell them; the two women who'd tried their hardest to befriend her when she'd least wanted people around. It took them a while, but they're definitely close to her now. And they deserve some kind of explanation. So Beca takes a breath and motions for Stacie to sit back on her stool so she could look them both in the eye.

"I was a coward," she tells them frankly, making them frown at her. "I was. I couldn't handle… and he tried so hard to get through to me but I kept pushing him away and- I basically threw Jesse out of my life so he had no choice but to sign the papers. And now he's here, and I just don't know _how _the hell he can still feel _anything _at all for me-"

"Beca!" Stacie puts up a hand to stop her. "You're going too fast! I still don't understand."

She takes a shuddering breath. "I lost him," she sobs out, feeling the carefully constructed threads holding her together come loose. "I wasn't strong enough and I lost him."

Stacie tries to take her hand, looking at the sudden tears running down Beca's face in panic. "But he's back, Beca! You haven't lost him, not really-"

"Stacie," Aubrey whispers as she puts a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "She's not talking about Jesse."

Stacie turns to face her with a furrowed brow. When she finally receives the message Aubrey sends her through her eyes, her forehead smoothens out and her expression freezes.

"Five months," Beca croaks, her throat dry. "It just happened one night- I started bleeding." There's some shallow breathing and what feels like a huge rock in her chest. "Jesse took me to the emergency room. And I felt cramps and then came the contractions." Her vision's blurred and she doesn't have the strength to take in air anymore, but she has to finish it. "I had to deliver. And he didn't have a heartbeat-" Her hands rub at her face furiously, like they're trying to erase the memory away instead of drying her tears.

From that day on it's like she doesn't have a heartbeat either.

Somehow, they've managed to move her over to the couch. Beca lets herself be a little girl for a moment, resting her head on Aubrey's lap and letting her stroke her hair.

"We were crushed," she whispers after a few minutes. "I wouldn't get out of bed for days and Jesse wouldn't go to work because he'd stay in and take care of me," she chokes up again as her thoughts go back to Jesse. "He tried so hard… to get me to talk, to get me to smile again. But I couldn't. I felt like I'd failed him-"

"Beca." Stacie reproaches her softly. "How could you think that?"

She lifts one shoulder in a weak shrug. "He was so excited for the baby- and I- I was too. I just didn't know how much. It hadn't been planned, and I was more worried about being a good mother. But I never… never got to find out," this is the last sob, she promises herself.

Deep breaths.

_1, 2, 3…_

"I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at myself either. I moved to Chloe's. I thought I was doing the right thing. I filed for divorce two months later."

_1, 2…_

"I didn't- didn't even tell him. Just let him receive the papers in the mail. It took another four months for him to accept what was happening."

_1, 2, 3…_

"He wouldn't sign at first. Until I pushed him far enough away that he did." She swallows and is finally able to breathe properly again. "I asked Chloe for help; I couldn't stay in LA and risk running into him. She tried to talk me out of it; all of it. And then she finally gave in. She told me she had a friend in San Francisco who would help me settle in." Beca glances up at Aubrey. "And that's why I came."

They stay quiet for what feels like hours, Beca choosing to stare blankly at the TV on the wall as she waits for the onslaught of questions.

She feels a tug on her hair and looks up to see Aubrey's eyes shifting nervously around the room before settling on hers with resolve. "And he let you go just like that?" The blonde blurts out skeptically. The tall brunette sitting on the couch next to her now wears an incredulous look and uses her elbow to nudge Aubrey in the ribs.

Beca grimaces and looks off to the side again.

Well…

No.

* * *

"_Sign here. And here. Good. It's done now."_

_She watches as Jesse hands the papers back to the bald man, whose name she never bothered to remember, his eyes never looking away from hers. She stares back blankly. Regardless of the nausea building up in her stomach, he deserves to have her eyes meet his._

"_Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Swanson," Bald Man drawls in a sarcastic manner, probably remembering how difficult Jesse had been the first few months. "We may leave now, Ms. Mitchell."_

_She stays rooted in her seat._

"_Ms. Mitchell," the man says again impatiently._

"_We have something to discuss," Jesse starts coldly, sending a fleeting glance at her lawyer. "If you don't mind giving us a minute…" It's not the bald guy's fault, but better for Jesse to direct his anger at him instead of her. _

_She gives an almost imperceptible nod when the man looks at her questioningly. He shakes his head and leaves the small room. _

_Beca rests her gaze on his cheekbone as she feels the weight of his stare on her. _

"_Is this really what you want?" He asks in a broken voice, his hands clutching the table's edge._

_She feels the burn in the back of her eyes. _

_Don't. Don't think._

"_Yes," her voice sounds detached and not at all like hers. _

_He stands up from the seat abruptly, walking around the table and getting to her side too quickly for her to spring up and run. The chair is turned toward him, scraping loudly against the floor, and one hand grips her chin as the other blocks her chances of a getaway on the other side. Beca looks up at him in surprise and swallows hard._

"_I don't believe you." Jesse's sad eyes lock with hers._

_Her lips tremble and she lifts a shaking hand to cup his cheek, his eyes sliding close. "I'm sorry," she whispers. His hand lifts up to grab onto her wrist as he turns his face into the palm, placing a kiss there. She feels something wet hit her fingers and gasps quietly when she realizes that it's a tear. _

"_You don't have to do this alone," he mumbles._

_A chuckle escapes her. And then one more. Until she's laughing and gasping. It feels bitter and angry and she hangs on to the feeling of having his arms lift her up from the chair to pull her into his body. Like he's trying to take every ounce of pain she has in her and suffer from it himself, so she wouldn't have to. She buries her face into his neck and grasps onto his shoulders. She memorizes it all. The way he smells. The soft hair at the nape of his neck. His lips on her face, trying to kiss away every tear she sheds. _

"_We can start over," Jesse whispers into her cheek. "Just give it time, Bec. We don't have to be apart-" he cuts himself off as she shakes her head furiously. "Why not?" His hands cover her cheeks, lifting her face up to his. "Why not?" _

"_I just can't."_

_He grits his teeth. "That's not an answer, Beca." She struggles to keep her eyes on his; they flit away. "No, look at me. You haven't looked at me in months," he rasps. She thinks he might be resisting the urge to shake her. "Look at me, Beca."_

"_I can't." Her eyes are shut tight. _

_She doesn't hear him say anything for a while. They just stand close together in the room, not moving, practically not breathing. _

_She jumps when she hears the rumble of his voice. "What do you want from me, Beca? Do you want me to leave you alone? To forget it all and move on?" _

_Yes. _

_She looks at the unbuttoned collar of his shirt, choosing to stay quiet. He seems to hear her unspoken thought, though, because in the next second he stiffens and his hands grip her arms. "That's what you want?" He laughs in sheer disbelief. It's nothing like his usual, warm guffaw and she winces. "And are you going to be able to do the same?" Jesse quietly asks as his lips brush her forehead. _

_No._

"_Amy's waiting for me outside," she replies monotonously; unfeelingly. Completely the opposite of how she almost broke just minutes ago. _

_Jesse's hands slide up her neck to lift her head up so she has no choice but to look at him. His gaze is dark and serious. "Do you know why I signed, Beca?" He stays quiet for a second and it occurs to her that he's actually waiting for an answer to his seemingly rhetorical question. She shakes her head. "Because I've seen you shut down before. If I'd just kept refusing to sign, it wouldn't have helped any. You wouldn't have stopped until you got the divorce; wouldn't have even given me the chance to change your mind. So I signed. I gave you what you thought you needed, Beca; what you still think you need."_

_She starts struggling to break from his hold; she doesn't want to leave him with a furious image of her the last time they see each other. _

_An arm wraps around her waist to keep her still. "But this doesn't mean I'm going to make this easy for you. Because when you love someone, you don't walk out on them and you don't let them walk out on you."_

"_You think this is easy for me?" She asks incredulously. _

_He ignores her. "I'm going to give you something other than what you're asking for. I'll give you time. But then I'll come get you. And we can start again."_

_Beca stares at him. He sounds so sure of himself. It makes her want to punch him. It also makes her want to pull his lips down to hers. It makes her want to laugh and smile at him in relief that he's not letting her go._

_But then she remembers her stomach and the bump that's not there anymore. She remembers the look on both of their faces and realizes that she can't give him everything._

_And he deserves everything._

_Amy wouldn't barge in, but she can tell her friend's getting impatient by the muffled shouting she soon hears from behind the door as Amy chews out what sounds like Bald Man for information on how the proceedings had gone. _

_Beca gulps and looks at Jesse regretfully. He stares back intently before giving her waist one last squeeze and loosening his hold. She steps back. He steps forward, like he can't decide. Back. Forward. Back. A hesitant step forward. _

_But she's the one who pulls him to her by his neck and presses her lips to his roughly. _

_She hopes that it's enough for her, because she's not planning on seeing him again._

_When she walks out the door, she sees that Donald and Benji, both of whom had come with Jesse for moral support, have managed to calm Amy down. She's immediately suffocated by her friend's cleavage when she's pulled into a tight hug. Beca chokes back the urge to cry into Amy's embrace; if Chloe had been there, which she wasn't because the redhead releases the waterworks for literally everything, she wouldn't have managed to hold it in. _

_Amy starts babbling about everything and anything on the way out of the building, trying to distract her, and the last thing Beca sees from the corner of her eye is Benji and Donald rushing toward the room Jesse's still in._

_She misses him already. _

_Of course it hadn't been enough. _

* * *

Stacie's smoky eyes are suddenly in her face and Beca jumps as she's reminded of the present setting. "You don't have to say anything, Beca. In fact, that's enough talking for now. I'm gonna order some Chinese and then we'll get some wine and cake and eat to our heart's content." The brunette's wide smile slowly dims as she squeezes Beca's arm. "I'm sorry you lost your baby," she says quietly. Beca sees Aubrey nod in agreement from above and then she has to blow strands of dark brown and honey blonde hair out of her eyes once she's encased in bone-crushing hugs. And Stacie's cleavage.

One definite thing she's had luck with in her life, is the group of friends she'd gained throughout her twenties.

She gives them both a small, genuine smile and they beam.

She doesn't smile like that often.

* * *

"What?" she snaps.

Rafael Mason, her dear, _dear_, boss, has just gotten himself on her hit list.

"Beca," he smiles patiently at her. "You and Jesse are on the production team-

"Since when are you on first name terms with him?"

"-this was bound to happen at some point-"

"Why can't Louie work with him? Or Jacob? Hell, even Denise. I know she's an intern but you have to admit she has potential." And she's engaged with her high-school sweetheart, so it wouldn't matter if she worked with Jesse.

Not that _that's_ most important…

"Beca…"

"Raf…"

"_Beca."_

"_Raf."_ She crosses her arms and glares when he chuckles at her.

"Now, child-" he begins, ignoring Beca's groan. His eyes twinkle. "What? You are practically a child compared to this old man." He points two his thumbs toward himself like a dork.

"Fifty-six is not _that _old."

The man child shrugs happily. "There are a lot of things you can't do at fifty six that you can ten years earlier. I consider that old. But I digress. You're my most talented producer, Beca. And I trust you. Jesse needs someone who knows exactly what they're doing. And that's you." He raises an eyebrow when he sees her open her mouth to argue. "It's been three weeks. I'd like to think that you two get along nicely by this point."

"No," she says slowly. "We have… different views." She cringes when Raf looks at her curiously. "I mean, these mornings with him haven't been going so well." Understatement. "I don't think he agrees with my… editing. And I don't like his composing… work."

Her grey-eyed boss purses his lips and narrows his eyes at her playfully. "Now I think you're just making up excuses, Beca." His eyes light up and a worryingly large, carefree smile grows on his face.

Is it even possible for someone to be so well-humored in their fifties?

"Beca! I've just had an amazing idea. I'm going to send the two of you to that German restaurant I know you like. It will help you get to know Jesse better, and that way, you'll be comfortable enough to work with him."

Her eyes widen. "No! No, no, we couldn't. That's just… No, Raf, it's not a good idea."

He doesn't seem to hear her. "It'll be on me! I'd be happy to do it; I am responsible for the two of you, after all. It's my job to ensure that you're satisfied with your working environment and the people-"

"Raf-"

"Don't know why I hadn't thought of it before-"

"Mr. Mason!" She waves her arms around in an effort to get his attention.

"And there's just something about the two of you-" He blinks. "Did you just call me Mr. Mason?" he asks her in an amused tone of voice.

Beca huffs. "Well, you weren't listening to me, Raf. Look, you don't have to worry about me feeling 'comfortable' or not. It's fine. I'll work the extra hours with… Mr. Swanson. I shouldn't have complained in the first place. It's my job, after all." She resigns herself to her fate.

Raf lets out a disappointed breath and fixes her with a steady look. "You know, I never did understand why you came to work for me, Beca," he begins quietly; so serious that she considers it a complete personality switch. "Your name was already quite popular among the music charts and I understand there were many production agencies waiting for the chance to land a contract with you." He elaborates further when he sees the surprised, partly confused, expression on her face, "Mrs. Hanton Posen turned in your information when she told me you wanted to apply for a position here." But where would Aubrey get- She was going to kill Chloe.

"Regardless, I was very happy of the fact. And we became fast friends, didn't we?" he chuckles good-naturedly and she allows herself a small smile.

She thinks she may know the reason for that. It's obvious now, really. He reminds her of Jesse.

They're both man-child's to the third degree.

"I've seen you work long hours. Every week, Beca. I could tell it was exhausting for you, but for some reason you kept going, like you didn't want to go home."

Because she had no one waiting for her.

"It worried me. But then again, I'm old. I worry entirely too much about the smallest things sometimes," he grins at her in an effort to make her more comfortable at the turn the conversation has taken. She manages a weak one back; it's more like a showing of teeth. "And these past weeks… Do you know Mr. Swanson, Beca?"

She freezes.

"No," she likes to think she says calmly. "Not at all- I... yes."

Raf nods sagely. "I thought so." He glances up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I know things seem complicated sometimes, but it's better to confront your problems rather than try to evade them," he says. "It might not be so hard. And it's better to deal with things now, in the present. Or else they might haunt you later." His gaze measures her, wondering if he's crossed some sort of boundary.

She can only twist her necklace chain around her fingers and nod slowly. She's not going to get angry with him, because he's right. And he's not saying these things to hurt her. Rafael Mason is about as harmless as a newborn puppy.

But he's still on her hit list.

* * *

"We have to mix up this bit right here," she says as she points at the screen.

"Right," Jesse mutters. "But I still think we should have used c-sharp."

"Yeah," she says tiredly. "We'll do it again tomorrow morning. I think we're done for the night." Beca slumps back down into her chair and starts turning off the recording speakers in the studio. She can hear him gather his music sheets and stuff them into his laptop bag. She busies herself with turning off every device, even though she knows the cleaning crew that'll pass by afterward can do that just fine. She hears some shuffling and then footsteps, but the sound of the door opening and closing never comes. Just like every single time they've met so far. Beca sighs as she turns to face the door and sees Jesse leaning against it calmly, blocking the only exit and, once again, preparing to start the conversation that always ends with him frustrated and her looking even more haggard than usual.

"I'm exhausted, Jesse," is her futile attempt at escaping the inevitable back and forth, getting nowhere chat.

"I know," he murmurs. "I am too." His stare burns her cheek.

Beca runs a hand through her hair exasperatedly. Raf's words flash in her mind and she winces.

Okay.

She takes a breath. "Okay," she says, catching his attention as he straightens up from the doorway. "We'll talk, Jesse. But I'll start." Okay. Go. "I'm sorry for- for leaving…without telling you." She looks up at him, because she means this. "I should've come out and said it; said everything. How I was just- too sad- and angry- all the time. I should've warned you… about the papers. I should've faced you. I'm sorry I didn't." The pitch of her voice is controlled. Her throat isn't clogging up…yet. "But- it was the best thing I could've done, Jesse. I was- it was hard for me. But I couldn't bring you down with me-"

"What?"

She startles once she hears the low voice.

His eyes are clouding over. Whether with hurt or anger, she couldn't tell you. "That's what you think? That you were going to 'bring me down'-" his voice cuts off in disbelief. "I wanted to be there, Beca!" He comes toward her, stopping short within three feet and she fights the urge to run. "No matter how sad, or angry, I always want to be there," Jesse tries to make her understand, his eyes a deep brown and fists clenching and unclenching, as if holding back the compulsion to grab her.

"Jesse-" her voice catches. "You don't-" she stops.

_You don't understand_, she'd wanted to say.

But that's just not _true. _

Jesse confirms her thoughts. "I lost him too, Beca. I lost our son, too." The same kind of pain she sees reflected in the mirror is staring back at her.

She nods absently as it sinks in.

"But I wanted to get through it. _With you_."

Selfish. She's been so selfish.

She must have spoken her thoughts out loud, because suddenly she has a body to hold onto and an arm around her waist while his other hand grips the back of her head. She buries her face into his shoulder. The ache in her chest loosens.

She's breathing harshly but she can still make out the murmurings in her ear. "No, it's okay. How could I blame you, Bec? You felt it the most. It's okay. I just wanted you to be okay. Please don't cry." She gives a shaky laugh as she realizes that she is, in fact, crying.

Again.

She grumbles as she lifts her hands to wipe the traitorous tears away. Jesse's kissing the top of her head and she melts into his embrace. "I'm sorry," she mumbles. "I made you hurt more."

He sighs into her hair. "I just need you back."

She stiffens and untangles herself from him. "Jesse, I can't."

He blinks at her and his hands grasp her shoulders. "What?"

"I'm not-"

"_Don't _say you're not ready," he frowns.

She narrows her eyes and, almost immediately, his darken in defense. "Fine," she whispers, deadly quiet. "You want to know why I can't be with you? Why I left in the first place? I realized something, Jesse. That miscarriage could have been the first of many. I may not be strong enough to carry a kid and that's enough of a reason to stay as far away from you as possible."

"You don't know that, Beca," he states calmly. It makes her want to slap him. "But even if things were like that, why would that mean you'd have to stay away from me?"

"Because you're Jesse!" She shouts angrily. "You're the guy that's meant to have kids. You're the all-around family guy. And If I can't give you a family, then what good am I to you?"

"Hey," he snaps; his stare fierce. "Don't talk about yourself like that. So that's it? You think I married you so that you could be my baby-machine?"

She groans with her face in her hands. "No, it's just… I realized what it meant; what I could be making you give up," she gulps. "Every time I looked at you, it killed me (1). And it wasn't - it's still not - _fair._ Because you made me want those things. And it killed me that I couldn't have them. I met you, and I wanted the steady relationship. I dated you, and I wanted the ring. I married you, and I wanted the baby and the cliché house that came with it. I wanted everything with you."

"And now?"

She looks up at him confusedly. "What?"

He cups her cheeks and rests his forehead on hers. "Do you still want everything with me?" She chokes on her breath. "Because I want it with you."

"I can't give you everything, Jesse. I'm too scared to try." It's true. She wouldn't be able to handle a loss like that one again.

But she can't handle losing Jesse again, either.

He shakes his head. "No, Bec," he tells her softly. "I don't want everything you think you owe me. I want everything you're willing to give me."

She stares at him. This man, who she knows would never ask more of her if he knew it wouldn't make her happy. When had she forgotten this?

Her breath comes out in a gust. She smiles at him, closing her eyes in relief. "I'm an idiot." She gives a bitter chuckle.

"Well," he smiles as he brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "We should've stayed together, sure. But don't blame yourself for how you felt or how you closed down for a while. It was expected, Beca. No one blames you." She knows he's talking about their friends and family back home. Good. She's missed them.

"And if-," she hesitates. "If the odds of me… if the odds aren't good?" That would hurt her, but Jesse would be there.

"Then we'll figure it out together," he says as his lips brush over her temple.

And Jesse would make it okay.

Beca grins as she hugs him, her arms locking around his neck. "I've missed you." There's probably some red around her eyes because of her crying session and she's sure her hair's a mess, but she's never felt more comfortable with herself. Like a huge weight's been lifted.

Jesse smiles as his lips ghost over her cheekbone. "I've missed you, too," he breathes.

"There's a lot to talk about, Jesse. I miss LA, definitely-"

He hums into her cheek.

"But San Francisco is pretty amazing, too. Maybe we could visit once a year-"

His hands grab onto her waist as his lips trail down her neck.

"And we- we have to visit thi- this German restaurant w-with Raf."

Jesse chuckles. "Never thought I'd see the day when Beca Mitchell, soon-to-be Swanson again, doesn't know when to shut up."

She pulls his head back from where it's buried in the slope of her neck and raises an eyebrow at him. "Soon-to-be Swanson again? What makes you so sure?"

He smiles sheepishly as he rubs his hand across the back of his neck. "Um- well," two red dots bloom on his cheeks.

Beca smirks at him as she pulls her long necklace chain out of her blouse, calling him a "nerd" along the way. There's a ring dangling from the end, its glint still as bright as the day he'd bought it.

Jesse's shoulders sag in relief and there's intense affection in his eyes as they fly up to meet her own. He grasps her chin and tilts it up so her lips meet his for the first time in way too long.

And she can breathe properly again.

* * *

_...Was that angsty? Or too cheesy? In my defense, it's three in the morning, so..._

_This is sort of, maybe, kind of based on a true story. The miscarriage, I mean. Not mine, but a close someone's. I don't know how it feels firsthand and I'm very sorry to anyone that does. I can't imagine what it's like, but I tried my best with Beca. So, just in case, I'm sorry if I offended anyone. This is purely for writing purposes._

_(1) There's a similar line to this in the movie, "What to Expect When You're Expecting". Anna Kendrick plays Rosie and I think she says, "Because every time I look at your face, it kills me."_


	9. Our Refugee Weirdo Gang (Part III)

_This took a lot longer than I expected. (Writer's block. Hate it.) And as it turns out, this will probably be a four-shot, or five-shot, or... yeah, I will let you know when it's finally, the last one. I guess this a sort of mini series between longer-story chapters, so I'm sorry if they turn out... okayish? Anyway..._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"I'm going to crash!"

"Amy, no, you're not. Just stay calm and keep pedaling."

"I'm going to swirl out of control and then this beast between my legs is going to collide against a car and my body will go flying through the air and land on top of an old lady taking a walk with her cat."

Beca blinks against the hair flying in her face. "Wow," she pants. "And why the very specific vision of such events?"

"Because it's happened once before."

"Of course it has."

A bell rings from somewhere on their right and they both turn to the tall woman on the hot pink bicycle. "This is great, it's like I'm taking my spinning class times ten," Stacie smiles at them, panting along with exertion as her legs keep up a moderate pace.

"For once we agree on something," Unicycle calls back from a few feet in front of them. "I told you guys this would be awesome! There's nothing like riding wheels." He makes a quick movement on his unicycle and turns to face them as he pedals backwards with a smirk.

"Show-off," Beca hears Jesse grunt from behind her. She holds in a chuckle and glances over her shoulder to see him wiping some sweat off his forehead with one hand while the other holds on to the handlebar.

"Keep up nerd," she calls back with a smirk, earning herself a mock glare from him. To be honest, she's doesn't know why she's even up ahead. It's like half an hour ago she had a sudden surge of adrenaline and then _wham_. She's the third person up front. She hates exercise; tries to avoid doing it as much as possible, only going for a run occasionally. In fact, Jesse had been ahead of her for a major part of their bike riding, but she guessed he got tired real quick after that. Now she's the one snickering every time she hears him pant for breath.

This is her revenge.

Very small, sad revenge but it's something.

"Are we there yet?" Benji calls from behind them.

"There - where, exactly?" Unicycle raises both eyebrows at Benji as he keeps facing them while riding backwards.

Stacie gives a huff of impatience. "What do you mean, _where_? The place you're taking us to!"

Uni snorts, "I'm not taking you guys anywhere. I had the great idea of using bikes to get around. Someone else was supposed to decide where to go."

"Wait!" Beca says with wide eyes. "You mean we've been riding - _for almost three hours _- without knowing where to go?" she asks incredulously before using the brakes on her bike to come to a sudden halt.

"Beca!" she hears Jesse shout in panic from behind her as she looks back to see him swirling towards her at full speed. She lets out an involuntary squeak as she lifts her arms to cover her head and prepares for a painful crash-

That comes just a few feet away from her.

She lifts her head to look and sees her nerd roll to a stop, face-down on the ground to her left. "Oh my god, Jesse!" Beca jumps off her bike and lets it fall as she hurries over to help him.

"Now _that_ was entertainment," Fat Amy says as she lets her own bicycle fall to the ground.

"Amy!" Unicycle shouts. "Don't treat it that way!" He's promptly ignored by said Australian, followed by Stacie and then Benji, as both jog over to get to the injured. "Oh, forget it; they're just rentals."

"Jesse," Beca says as she kneels next to his sprawled form and turns him over. He does so with a grunt of pain and a face full of dirt, but otherwise, he's fine. "Speak to me, nerd," Beca barely gets out, lips trembling while trying to suppress her chuckles. "You're okay."

"Must you always laugh at my misfortune?" Jesse mutters with eyes tightly closed.

"Jesse! Are you okay? Are you bleeding anywhere?" Benji asks when he runs over, looking a little green in the face at the thought. "I have a First-Aid Kit." He states proudly as he watches Beca wipe the dirt off Jesse's still-closed eyes. "Though, I think you might need some wipes more than anything. I have those, too! Hang on!"

"Well, at least you had the sense not to land on the road," Stacie says when she gets there.

"Or crash into little Shawshank here," Fat Amy muses.

Beca frowns as she remembers her abrupt stop on the bike. "Oops. Um… sorry." Jesse just pats the hand still wiping the dirt off his face in forgiveness.

"Here," Unicycle says as he comes over. "Benji told me to give this to you," he hands Beca the wipe pack, "he got his foot stuck in the bike chain so I'm gonna go help him out," Unicycle sighs. "Glad you're okay, man." Jesse gives him a tired thumbs-up in response.

"You know what? This is just like the time…" Fat Amy starts to tell Stacie as they turn away from the couple.

Beca starts cleaning Jesse's face enough for him to finally open his eyes and look at her. "I am sorry," she says apologetically. "I forgot we were going that fast."

Jesse gives her a muffled answer as she wipes dirt from his mouth, too. "It's fine," he replies once he can finally speak. "Question though. Why is it that you're always the reason for any and all of my possible injuries?" he jokes cheekily.

Beca sits back on her calves and narrows her eyes. "If I don't answer, are you going to say something stupid?"

"Bike injuries are a small price to pay in exchange for having a lover who-" Beca slaps a hand onto his mouth to shut him up.

"You hit your head," she deadpans. "I think it's best you keep quiet before you embarrass yourself further." She rolls her eyes when Jesse waggles his eyebrows at her and a second later she feels his tongue lick her palm. "Jesse!" She scowls as she snatches her hand back instantly and he snickers.

"Hey, the least you can do is kiss me as compensation," he grins up at her. Beca rolls her eyes (again, because that's become a thing with Jesse) and leans in against his side – stopping when she hears a weird _crunch_ coming from his right pocket. "What is that?" she asks him.

Jesse furrows his brow and his hand digs into his pocket to pull whatever's in there out. He stops halfway and shoves it back in before she can see what it is. "Nothing," Jesse says quickly. "So, how about that kiss?" He puckers his lips and leans his face into hers.

She snorts and pushes him back by his chin as her hand shoots into his pocket to grab what's in there. "Beca, wait-" But it's too late because she's already gaping at the broken pieces of what _used_ to be her phone.

"Jesse," she starts dangerously.

Said nerd is currently eying her worriedly. "I know this looks bad, Bec," he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "But… uh, it's not… really… all that bad?"

Her glare tells him it's bad.

Strangely enough, it's Unicycle who comes to his rescue. "Good news, Benji's free. Now, looking back on how this all started, the problem's that we don't exactly know where we're going, right?"

"Right," Jesse answers him while trying to distract Beca from grimacing at the destroyed phone in her hand.

"Okay, so… what are we gonna do?"

"You're dead dingo meat," Fat Amy points at Unicycle. "I just did cardio for three hours for no reason at all. Someone's gonna have to pay," she steps forward threateningly, causing Uni to shakily tug Benji in front of him for protection.

"We should have just hitched a ride with the tow truck," Stacie scoffs as she twirls her long, brunette locks between her fingers.

"What happened, happened." Jesse shrugs as he tries to gently tug Beca's damaged phone out of her grip. "Let's just try to think of somewhere to go."

"How about Barden?" Beca grumbles as she reluctantly lets go of her iPhone.

"I have an idea," Benji snaps his fingers. "We passed a sign a while ago; I think there's a town not far from here. What if we head over there?"

"Hang on," Unicycle mumbles as he pulls out his phone to check the navigation map. "Huh, it's like, half an hour away. Don't you guys just love technology?" he quips a minute later. Beca casts forlorn glances at her phone, causing Jesse to pocket it quickly.

"Okay then," Stacie claps her hands and gestures over at the bikes. "Let's get to town and figure out where to go from there."

Fat Amy shoots raises her eyebrows and looks down at her watch. "It's almost seven thirty. You want us to start riding _now_?"

"Amy's right. Let's just call a cab," Benji agrees tiredly.

"Those things are expensive!" Unicycle throws his hand up in the air exasperatedly.

"Well, I'm not doing any more cardio," Fat Amy states firmly.

"We had rest stops! I mean, come on, you guys are impossible."

"Whatever. The handlebars are too rough against my skin, anyway. When we get back, I'm scheduling a spa appointment immediately."

Beca leans back against Jesse's chest as she listens to them argue, too tired to even pretend to be mad at him anymore. She feels him sigh and affectionately press his lips to her hair as he wraps his arm around her waist, his hand coming to rest on her stomach. She's a minute away from closing her eyes for good, before she sees headlights in the not-so-far distance. "Guys," Beca says as she sits up, rousing Jesse in turn. "Guys! There's a car coming." They all look back and see the red pick-up truck driving steadily towards them.

"What if it's a serial killer?" Benji stage whispers.

"I think we'll take our chances," Stacie replies as she examines her finger pads with a frown.

"Even if we're able to hitch a ride with them, where will we leave the bikes? They're rentals, remember?" Unicycle taps his foot nervously.

Stacie waves him off. "I'll text them to come pick them up or whatever."

"Yeah, I don't think that's allowed-" Uni stops talking as the car comes to a slow stop next to them. "Oh god, what if it _is _a serial killer?"

"Shut it."

The driver's door opens and a stiletto covered foot steps out, followed by a bleach blonde head. The skinny girl raises her sunglasses to rest on top of her head as her ice blue eyes curiously observe the group in front of her. Her gaze flits from Stacie, to Amy, to Beca. She appraises them from head to toe, before a slow smile spreads out over her face. "This is fate," she says happily, making everyone else bewildered.

"It sure is, baby," Unicycle flexes his biceps and looks at her invitingly once he snaps out of his daze.

The blonde tilts her head and shrugs. "I'm Anna. Do you need a ride?"

* * *

_Yup, it's Anna again!_

_...Yay...? _


End file.
